% 


I  ORES 

DREAD  AND  TELL 


wTITt 


i  ■  tfil  i  WTSiJi  I  wvfi 


FRANCES  JENKINS  OLCOTT 


';>>?* 


?.^.^'^^^^ 


!    ,    1 


1  II  VI 
VII 
VIM 
IX 


A  # 


-■■■,-•.,;  ^-..^  I 


SOUTHERN  BRANCH, 

iJNIVERSIIY  Of  CALIFORNIA, 
LIBRARY. 

IU>S  ANGELES,  CALIF, 

hi  fiX  ;  7  -   Z-* 


UNIVEF^ITY  of  CALIF0R^«4 

AT 

LOS  AKGELES 

LIBRARY. 


^Soofefi  hj^  iFrances  ST^nfeinfi  ©Icott 

PUBLISHED  BY 

HOUGHTON  MIFFLIN  COMPANY 


THE    WONDER    GARDEN.     Illustrated  in  color 
by  Milo  Winter. 

THE   BOOK  OF  ELVES  AND    FAIRIES.     Illus- 
trated in  color  by  Milo  Winter. 

TALES    OF  THE   PERSIAN  GENII.     Illustrated 

in  color  by  Willy  Pogany. 
THE    RED    INDIAN    FAIRY    BOOK.     Illustrated 

in  color  by  Frederick  Richardson. 
BIBLE   STORIES  TO   READ  AND  TELL.    Illus- 

tratud  in  color  by  Willy  Pogany. 
GOOD     STORIES     FOR     GREAT     HOLIDAYS. 

Illustrated. 
STORY-TELLING    POEMS. 
THE  CHILDREN'S   READING. 

tV/t/t  Amentt  Pendleton 
THE  JOLLY  BOOK  FOR   BOYS  AND  GIRLS. 


BIBLE  STORIES  TO  READ  AND  TELL 


i)AMi:i,  IN   riii;  i-ions'  dkn 


^^EAD  andTELL 

150  Stories  from  the  Old  Testajncnt 
iirith  Refejvnces  lotheOldandNcurTestajnerk 
Selected  and  Arranged  by 
FRANCES  JENKINS  OLCOTT 


lUustralions^  by 
Willy  Poqdnij 

i|ou0ht0n  iJliff Iln  Conqjang 

Boston  an5  3^cUj  ^orK 


-^o-^^l 


COPYRIGHT,    I916,   BY  FRANCES  JENKINS  OLCOTT 
AND  WILLY   POGANY 

ALL    RIGHTS    RESERVED 

Published  November  iqib 


cop- 2^ 


tE^o  tf)t  Cljiloren 

The  Lord  bless  thee,  and  keep 
thii : 

The  Lord  make  his  face  shine 
upon  thee,  and  be  gracious  unto  thee  : 

The  Lord  lift  up  his  countenance 
upon  thee,  and  give  thee  peace. 

The  Camp  Blessing 


i 


ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 

Thanks  are  due  the  following  publishers  and  authors 
for  permission  to  use  extracts  from  their  books :  — 

D.  Appleton  &  Co.,  Felix  Adler,  Moral  Instruction 
of  Children.  J.  B.  Lippincott  Company,  S.  G.  Fisher, 
True  Daniel  Webster.  Little,  Brown  &  Co.,  J.  H.  Cox, 
Literature  in  the  Common  Schools.  The  Macmillan 
Company,  Lord  Bryce,  American  Commonwealth. 
Houghton  Mifflin  Company,  Arlo  Bates,  Talks  on 
the  Study  of  Literature;  H.  C.  Lodge,  Daniel  Webster. 


^- 


^'3 


CONTENTS 

Introduction      ........  xix 

In  the  Beginning 

The  Creation  of  the  Heaven  and  the  Earth      .  3 

The  Creation  of  Man 5 

The  Garden  of  Eden 7 

God  speaks 8 

A  Song  of  Creation 11 

The  Lost  Paradise 

The  Subtil  Serpent 15 

The  First  Murderer 18 

The  Ark  of  Gopher  Wood 20 

The  Flood  of  Great  Waters 22 

The  Raven  and  the  Dove 21' 

The  First  Rainbow 27 

The  Tower  of  Babel 28 


Abraham,  the  Friend  of  God 
"I  will  make  of  thee  a  Great  Nation"  . 
The  Battle  of  the  Four  Kings  with  Five 
The  Priest  of  the  ]\Iost  High  God 
Abraham's  Exceeding  Great  Reward   . 
"Nay,  but  thou  didst  laugh"   . 
The  Curse  of  Sodom  and  Gomorrah     . 
Why  Lot's  Wife  became  a  Pillar  of  Salt 


33 
34 
36 
37 
38 
39 
42 


X  CONTENTS 

God  will  provide  Himself  a  Lamb        ...  44 

The  Search  for  Isaac's  Bride 47 

^    Jacob  and  Esau,  Isaac's  Sons 

How   Esau    the    Elder    Brother   despised  his 

Birthright          57 

The  Stolen  Blessing 58 

The  Vision  of  Jacob's  Ladder 63 

Jacob's  Twelve  Sons 

/Joseph's  Dreams 67 

J  How  Joseph  was  sold  into  Egypt  ....  68 
How  Pharaoh's  Butler,  and  Pharaoh's  Baker 

dreamed  Dreams 71 

How  Pharaoh  dreamed  a  Dream   ....  74 

The  Mighty  Ruler  of  Egypt 77 

His  Brethren  bow  down  to  Joseph        ...  79 

The  Strange  Money  in  the  Mouths  of  the  Sacks  82 

How  Benjamin  went  down  into  Egypt       .       .  85 

The  Silver  Cup  in  the  Corn 88 

"I  am  Joseph  your  Brother  whom  you  sold 

into  Egypt" 91 

In  Egyptian  Bondage 

The  House  of  Bondage 97 


Moses  in  the  Ark  of  Bulrushes 
Moses  and  the  Burning  Bush 
The  Rod  that  became  a  Serpent 
Bricks  without  Straw 
God  tells  His  Name  to  Moses 


98 

99 

103 

106 

108 


CONTENTS  xi 

The  Ten  Plagues  of  Egypt 

The  Rods  of  the  Egyptian  Magicians  .  .113 
The  First  Plague  —  The  River  of  Blood  .  .115 
The  Second  Plague  —  The  Scourge  of  Frogs  .  116 
The  Third  Plague  —  The  Lice  .  .  .  .118 
The  Fourth  Plague  —  The  Swarms  of  Flies  .  119 
The  Fifth  Plague  —  The  Grievous  Murrain  .  121 
The   Sixth   Plague  —  The   Boils  on  Man  and 

Beast 122 

The  Seventh  Plague  —  The  Hail  and  Fire        .  122 
The  Eighth  Plague  —  The  Locusts  that  cov- 
ered the  Land 125 

The  Ninth  Plague  —  Darkness  that  might  be 

felt 128 

The  Blood  of  the  Lamb  that  was  slain       .       .130 
The  Tenth  Plague  —  The  Death  of  the  First- 
born       131 

The  Pillar  of  Cloud,  and  the  Pillar  of  Fire  .  .133 
How  Pharaoh's  Horses  and  Chariots  were  cast 

into  the  Red  Sea 134 

The  Song  of  Triumph 138 


Forty  Years  in  the  Wilderness 

The  Angels'  Food 143 

Written  with  the  Finger  of  God    ....  147 

The  Ten  Commandments 149 

A  Few  of  the  Many  Laws  God  gave  Israel.  151 

The  Golden  Calf 157 

The  Grapes  of  Eshcol 162 

The  Giants,  the  Sons  of  Anak        .       .       .       .163 


xii  CONTENTS 

How   the  People   reproached   God   and   were 

punished 164 

How  Moses  disobeyed  God 168 

The  Fiery  Serpents 170 

Balaam's  Ass  that  spoke 171 

Some  of  the  Words  Moses  spake  to  the  Children 

of  Israel 176 

The  Burial  of  Moses 185 

The  Promised  Land 

The  Scarlet  Thread  in  the  Window      .       .       .191 
Why  the  Walls  of  Jericho  fell  down  flat       .  194 

The  Crafty  Gibeonites 198 

Joshua's  Farewell 202 

In  the  Days  of  the  Judges 

And  Israel  worshipped  Idols 209 

Gideon's  Fleece 211 

The  Sword  of  the  'Lord  and  of  Gideon  .      .213 

Jephthah's  Daughter 217 

Samson's  Riddle  220 

"  With  the  Jawbone  of  an  Ass,  Heaps  upon 

Heaps!" 224 

Samson  the  Mighty  and  the  Gate  of  Gaza        .  226 
"The  Philistines  be  upon  thee,  Samson!"  .       .  226 

The  Gentile  Daughter 230 

How  Ruth  gleaned  in  the  Field  of  Boaz     .       .  233 
The  Child  Samuel 236 


CONTENTS  xiii 

The  Three  Great  Kings 

"Nay,  but  we  will  have  a  King  over  us!"  .       .  243 

Goliath,  the  Giant 245 

David's  Battle  with  GoHath 247 

Jonathan,  King  Saul's  Son 253 

The  Jealous  King 254 

The  Message  of  the  Three  Arrows        .       .       .  255 
How  Saul  was  delivered  into  David's  Hand     .  260 

The  Witch  of  Endor 264 

Saul's  Last  Battle 267 

The  Taking  of  the  Castle  of  Zion  .       .       .       .269 

How  are  the  Mighty  fallen! 270 

The  Three  Mightiest 272 

King  David's  Grievous  Sin 273 

"Thou  art  the  Man!" 275 

Absalom,  King  David's  Son 278 

The  Punishment  of  Absalom 282 

The  House  of  the  Lord  God  of  Israel  .       .       .  287 

King  Solomon's  Choice 289 

The  Judgment  of  Solomon 292 

The  Treasures  of  King  Solomon    ....  293 

The  Queen  of  Sheba 296 

King  Solomon's  Sin 297 

The  Kingdom  of  the  Ten  Tribes 

The  New  Garment  rent  in  Twelve  Pieces       .  303 
How  the  Ten   Tribes  rebelled,   and   made  a 

Kingdom  of  their  own 305 

The  Wicked  Jeroboam  who  made  Israel  to  Sin  308 
King  Ahab  the  Wicked 310 


xiv  CONTENTS 

The  Ravens  that  Fed  EHjah 311 

EHjah  and  the  Widow's  Son 312 

Baal's  Prophets 314 

A  Still  Small  Voice 320 

Naboth's  Vineyard 323 

The  Chariot  of  Fire 327 

The  Wicked  Lads 330 

Death  in  the  Pot 331 

Naaman  the  Leper  and  the  Little  Maid  of 

Israel 332 

The  Punishment  of  Gehazi 335 

The  Driving  of  Jehu,  the  Son  of  Nimshi    .       .  336 
And  God  prepared  a  Great  Fish    ....  341 

The  Doom  of  Nineveh 344 

The  Gourd  and  God's  Pity 345 

The  Ten  Tribes  carried  away 347 

The  Kingdom  of  the  Tribe  of  Judah 

The  Evil  Reign  of  Rehoboam 353 

The  Little  Hidden  King 354 

How  the  Angel  of  the  Lord  smote  the  Assyrians 

by  Night 359 

To  whom  will  ye  liken  God? 364 

The  Abominations  of  Manasseh     ....  366 

The  Boy  King  of  Judah 368 

How  the  Boy  King    broke    down    the  Idols' 

Groves 371 

How  the  Lord  intended   to   punish  Judah  for 

Idolatry 377 

How  the  People  of  Judah  were  carried  Cap- 
tives to  Babjdon 380 


CONTENTS  XV 

The  Babylonian  Captivity 

The  Four  Wise  Youths 385 

The  Great  and  Terrible  Image       ....  387 

The  Burning  Fiery  Furnace 394 

The  Proud  King,  whose  Heart  was  lifted  up     .  398 

Belshazzar's  Feast 403 

Daniel  in  the  Lions'  Den  ......  408 

The  Return  from  the  Captivity     .       .       .       .412 

Stories  of  Some  Who  Did  Not  Return 

How  Queen  Vashti  would  not 417 

Esther  the  Beautiful  420 

The  Plot  of  that  Wicked  Haman  .       .       .       .422 

"And  if  I  perish,  I  perish!" 425 

The  Golden  Sceptre 427 

The  Gallows  Fifty  Cubits  High  .  .  .  .428 
The  Man  whom  the  King  delighted  to  honour  429 
Queen  Esther's  Feast 432 

Hear  O  Ye  Nations 435 

The  Messiah 

The  Promise 445 

The  Messenger 447 

His  Birth 449 

His  Message 450 

His  Sacrifice 455 

The  Resurrection 461 

His  Ascension 462 

His  Eternal  Kingdom 463 


xvi  CONTENTS 

Appendices 

Appendix  A.  The  Place  of  the  Bible  in  the 
Education  of  Children,  from  the  Writings  of 
John  Milton,  Thomas  Carlyle,  John  Riiskin, 
Abraham  Lincoln,  Lord  Bryce,  Wesley, 
Luther,  and  other  eminent  men       .       .       .  469 

Appendix  B.    From  Holy  Scripture   .       .      .  480 

Appendix  C.  Editions  of  the  Bible  recom- 
mended for  children 483 


ILLUSTRATIONS 

Daniel  in  the  Lions'  Den      ....  Frontispiece 

Abel's  Sacrifice 18 

Joseph  before  Pharaoh 76 

The  Finding  of  Moses 98 

Moses  and  the  Tables  of  Stone 148 

David  and  Goliath 250 

King  Solomon's  Judgment 292 

Esther  accusing  Haman 432 


INTRODUCTION 

Ways  This  Book  May  Be  Used 

Story-tellers  may  use  it  at  all  times. 

Mothers  may  read  it  aloud  at  bedtime  or  on 
Sunday  afternoons. 

Teachers  may  read  it  to  pupils,  or  use  it  in  class 
work. 

Sunday-School  teachers  may  use  it  with  begin- 
ners as  an  Old  Testament  History. 

Children  may  read  it  with  pleasure  and  look  up 
the  stories  referred  to  in  their  Bibles. 

HESE  stories  are  selected  from  the  King 
James  Version  of  the  Old  Testament,  the 
powerful  English  and  forceful  imagery  of 
which  have  moulded  the  style  and  thought 
of  generations  of  English-speaking  men  and 
women.  In  editing  the  stories,  a  few  words 
unsuitable  for  children  have  been  omitted,  and 
others  expressing  the  same  meanings  inserted. 
Where  an  occasional  passage  of  the  Authorized 
Version  was  not  clear,  correction  has  been  made, 
following  either  the  English  and  American  Re- 
vised Versions,  or  that  of  Isaac  Leeser. 

The  stories  are  not  meant  to  take  the  place 
of  the  Bible,  but  to  lead  to  the  wider  reading  of 


XX 


INTRODUCTION 


both  Old  and  New  Testaments.  References  are 
given  after  some  stories  so  that  the  children  may 
look  them  up  in  their  Bibles.  Every  child  should 
own  its  Bible  in  an  attractive  edition.  A  list 
of  editions  suitable  for  children,  with  prices  and 
publishers'  addresses,  is  given  on  page  483  of 
this  book. 

The  arrangement  forms  an  outline  of  Old  Testa- 
ment history,  and  the  stories  selected  emphasize 
the  providence  of  God  Almighty,  his  justice  and 
mercy,  his  punishment  of  evildoers,  and  his  loving 
care  of  those  who  are  obedient  to  his  will,  and 
desire  to  serve  Him.  At  the  end  of  the  volume 
is  a  brief  anthology  of  verses  showing  the  two 
main  threads  that  bind  together  the  Holy  Scrip- 
tures, Old  and  New,  —  the  gathering  of  "the 
scattered  Nation"  and  the  coming  of  the 
Messiah. 

The  ceremonial  law,  and  other  parts  unintelli- 
gible to  children,  have  been  omitted,  and  refer- 
ences have  been  made  to  some  of  the  Psalms  and 
other  prophetic  books,  so  that  the  children  may 
look  them  up  in  their  Bibles.  Care  has  been  taken 
to  select  stories  having  story-telling  qualities  and 
themes  frequently  referred  to  in  literature  and 
art.  Without  a  knowledge  of  these  a  man  or 
woman  is  not  well-educated.  A  few  selections 
have  been  added  that  explain  the  stories. 
'    It  is  impossible  to  estimate  the  value  of  the 


INTRODUCTION  xxi 

Bible  in  the  education  of  children,  or  to  sound  the 
depths  of  its  spiritual,  moral,  and  literary  influ- 
ences. Most  impressive  is  the  evidence  given  by 
such  men  as  Lord  Bryce,  J.  R.  Green,  Ruskin, 
Carlyle,  Daniel  Webster,  Lincoln,  Sir  Walter 
Scott,  Wesley,  and  Luther.  The  opinions  of  these 
men,  as  well  as  those  of  other  eminent  persons, 
as  to  the  educational  value  of  the  Bible  in  the 
training  of  children  in  the  home,  school,  and 
church,  may  be  found  on  pages  469-479  of  this 
volume.  The  reader's  attention  is  especially 
directed  to  Lord  Bryce's  warning  to  America, 
on  page  476. 

SUGGESTIONS   FOR   STORY-TELLERS 

Before  telling  a  Bible  story,  the  story-teller 
should  read  it  over  several  times,  until  she  has 
made  its  language,  style,  and  plot  her  own. 
Then  she  may  retell  it  as  nearly  as  possible  in 
Bible  manner,  keeping  the  story  objective,  and 
avoiding  all  moralizing,  clogging  detail,  and  sen- 
timental descriptions.  The  force  of  the  Bible 
stories  lies  not  only  in  their  spiritual  and  moral 
significance,  but  in  the  simple  vigor  of  their  re- 
cital and  in  the  sincerity  of  language  and  fact. 

After  the  story  is  over,  the  children  will  be 
delighted  to  hear  of  the  wonderful  discoveries 
made  lately  in  Assyria,  Egypt,  and  Arabia,  and 
of  the  finding  and  deciphering  of  inscriptions. 


^^tm 


xxii  INTRODUCTION 


OLD    TESTAMENT   HISTORY   CONFIRMING   THE 
MONUMENTS 

Boys  and  girls  listen  eagerly  to  tales  of  buried 
cities  uncovered,  and  ancient  treasures  unearthed, 
and  of  the  Assyrian  who  "came  down  like  the 
wolf  on  the  fold."  They  will  find  more  wonderful 
than  romance  the  history  of  modern  excavation 
in  the  Orient,  and  the  stories  related  by  the  an- 
cient monuments  and  the  clay  tablets  from  the 
Assyrian  libraries.  After  the  Bible  story  is  over, 
the  story-teller  may  tell  of  the  discovery  of  the 
Moabite  Stone,  and  of  the  Inscription  on  the  wall 
of  the  Pool  of  Siloam,  and  of  the  finding  of  the 
treasure  city  —  Pithom  —  built  by  the  Hebrews 
for  Pharaoh.  The  Eg^^ptologist  who  uncovered 
this  city  found  some  of  the  bricks  made  with  straw 
and  some  without  straw. 

The  English  Assyriologist,  Professor  Sayce, 
writes:  "Unexpected  light  has  been  thrown  upon 
facts  and  statements  hitherto  obscure,  or  a  wholly 
new  explanation  has  been  given  of  some  event  re- 
corded by  the  inspired  writer.  What  can  be  more 
startling  than  the  discovery  of  the  great  Hittite 
Empire,  the  very  existence  of  which  had  been  for- 
gotten, and  which  yet  once  contended  on  equal 
terms  with  Egypt  on  the  one  side,  and  Assyria  on 
the  other.'*  The  allusions  to  the  Hittites  in  the  Old 
Testament,  which  had  been  doubted  by  a  skep- 


INTRODUCTION  xxiii 

tical  criticism,  have  been  shown  to  be  fully  in 
accordance  with  the  facts,  and  their  true  place 
in  history  has  been  pointed  out." 

The  Semitic  scholar,  Professor  Fritz  Hommel, 
of  the  University  of  Munich,  who  has  given  much 
study  to  the  deciphering  of  Assyro-Babj'lonian 
and  South  Arabian  inscriptions,  says:  "We  have 
seen  from  the  evidence  of  personal  names,  and 
of  inscriptions  also,  that  personalities  such  as 
those  of  Abraham  and  Melchizedek,  have  noth- 
ing of  the  nature  of  anachronisms  about  them, 
but  rest  upon  traditions  which  had  been  put  into 
writing  long  before  the  time  of  Moses.  .  .  .  How 
much  further  material  lies  still  buried  in  the  soil 
of  Babylon,  Arabia,  and  Egypt,  with  promise  of 
new  surprises  and  further  confirmation!  Let  us 
in  the  meantime,  in  thankful  acknowledgment  of 
the  Providence  of  God,  rejoice  in  the  treasures 
already  brought  to  the  surface.  The  contem- 
poraneous monuments  illustrating  the  religious 
and  secular  history  of  Abraham's  time  are  indeed 
worth  their  weight  in  gold." 

The  story-teller  will  find  descriptions  of  these 
discoveries,  and  many  more  as  wonderful,  in 
Professor  Sayce's  little  book,  Fresh  Light  from 
the  Monuments.  This  small  volume,  written  in 
a  simple  j'et  interesting  way,  will  not  only  fur- 
nish the  boys  and  girls  with  historical  matter 
illustrative  of  the  Bible,  but  it  may  fire  their 


xxiv  INTRODUCTION 

imaginations  so  that  they  will  read  other  books 
telling  of  these  ancient  peoples.  Layard's  Nine- 
veh and  its  Remains,  Wilkinson's  or  Rawlinson's 
volumes  on  Ancient  Egypt,  and  Rawlinson's 
Phoenicia,  cannot  fail  to  fascinate  older  children 
both  by  text  and  pictures. 


^ftif  J^tmin^ 


Lord,  thou  hast  been  our  dwelling  place  in  all  generations. 

Before  the  mountains  were  brought  forth,  or  ever  thou  hadst 
formed  the  earth  and  the  world,  even  from  everlasting  to  ever- 
lasting, thou  art  God. 

For  a  thousand  years  in  thy  sight  are  but  as  yesterday 
when  it  is  -past,  and  as  a  watch  in  the  night. 

Psalm  90 


BIBLE  STORIES 
TO  READ  AND  TELL 

THE  CREATION  OF  THE  HEAVEN 
AND  THE  EARTH 

N  the  beginning  God  created  the  heaven  and 
the  earth.  And  the  earth  was  without  form, 
and  void;  and  darkness  was  upon  the  face 
of  the  deep.  And  the  Spirit  of  God  moved 
upon  the  face  of  the  waters. 

And  God  said,  "  Let  there  be  light:"  and 
there  was  light.  And  God  saw  the  light,  that  it 
was  good:  and  God  divided  the  light  from  the 
darkness.  And  God  called  the  light  Day,  and  the 
darkness  he  called  Night.  And  the  evening  and 
the  morning  were  the  first  day. 

And  God  said,  "Let  there  be  a  firmament  in 
the  midst  of  the  waters,  and  let  it  divide  the 
waters  from  the  waters."  And  God  made  the 
firmament,  and  divided  the  waters  which  were 
under  the  firmament  from  the  waters  which  were 
above  the  firmament:  and  it  was  so.  And  God 
called  the  firmament  Heaven.  And  the  evening 
and  the  morning  were  the  second  day. 

And  God  said,  "Let  the  waters  under  the 
heaven  be  gathered  together  unto  one  place,  and 


4  BIBLE  STORIES 

let  the  dry  land  appear: "and  it  was  so.  And  God 
called  the  dry  land  Earth;  and  the  gathering  to- 
gether of  the  waters  called  he  Seas :  and  God  saw 
that  it  was  good.  And  God  said,  *'Let  the  earth 
bring  forth  grass,  the  herb  yielding  seed,  and  the 
fruit  tree  yielding  fruit  after  his  kind,  whose  seed 
is  in  itself,  upon  the  earth:"  and  it  was  so.  And 
the  earth  brought  forth  grass,  and  herb  yielding 
seed  after  his  kind,  and  the  tree  yielding  fruit, 
whose  seed  was  in  itself,  after  his  kind :  and  God 
saw  that  it  was  good.  And  the  evening  and  the 
morning  were  the  third  day. 

And  God  said,  "Let  there  be  lights  in  the  firma- 
ment of  the  heaven  to  divide  the  day  from  the 
night;  and  let  them  be  for  signs,  and  for  seasons, 
and  for  days,  and  years.  And  let  them  be  for 
lights  in  the  firmament  of  the  heaven  to  give 
light  upon  the  earth:"  and  it  was  so.  And  God 
made  two  great  lights;  the  greater  light  to  rule 
the  day,  and  the  lesser  light  to  rule  the  night: 
he  made  the  stars  also.  And  God  set  them  in  the 
firmament  of  the  heaven  to  give  light  upon  the 
earth,  and  to  rule  over  the  day  and  over  the  night, 
and  to  divide  the  light  from  the  darkness:  and 
God  saw  that  it  was  good.  And  the  evening  and 
the  morning  were  the  fourth  day. 

And  God  said,  "Let  the  waters  bring  forth 
abundantly  the  moving  creature  that  hath  life, 
and  fowl  that  may  fly  above  the  earth  in  the  open 


THE  CREATION  OF  MAN  5 

firmament  of  heaven."  And  God  created  the  great 
sea-monsters,  and  every  living  creature  that 
moveth,  which  the  waters  brought  forth  abun- 
dantly, after  their  kind,  and  every  winged  fowl 
after  his  kind :  and  God  saw  that  it  was  good.  And 
God  blessed  them,  saying,  "Be  fruitful,  and  mul- 
tiply, and  fill  the  waters  in  the  seas,  and  let  fowl 
multiply  in  the  earth."  And  the  evening  and 
the  morning  were  the  fifth  day. 

And  God  said,  "Let  the  earth  bring  forth  the 
living  creature  after  his  kind,  cattle,  and  creeping 
thing,  and  beast  of  the  earth  after  his  kind:"  and 
it  was  so.  And  God  made  the  beast  of  the  earth 
after  his  kind,  and  cattle  after  their  kind,  and 
every  thing  that  creepeth  upon  the  earth  after  his 
kind:  and  God  saw  that  it  was  good. 

Genesis,  1 

THE  CREATION  OF  MAN 

And  God  said,  "Let  us  make  man  in  our  image, 
after  our  likeness:  and  let  them  have  dominion 
over  the  fish  of  the  sea,  and  over  the  fowl  of  the 
air,  and  over  the  cattle,  and  over  all  the  earth, 
and  over  every  creeping  thing  that  creepeth  upon 
the  earth."  So  God  created  man  in  his  own  image, 
in  the  image  of  God  created  he  him;  male  and 
female  created  he  them. 

And  God  blessed  them,  and  God  said  unto 


6  BIBLE  STORIES 

them,  "Be  fruitful,  and  multiply,  and  replenish 
the  earth,  and  subdue  it:  and  have  dominion  over 
the  fish  of  the  sea,  and  over  the  fowl  of  the  air, 
and  over  every  living  thing  that  moveth  upon  the 
earth." 

And  God  said,  "Behold,  I  have  given  you  every 
herb  bearing  seed,  which  is  upon  the  face  of  all 
the  earth,  and  every  tree,  in  the  which  is  the  fruit 
of  a  tree  yielding  seed;  to  you  it  shall  be  for  meat. 
And  to  every  beast  of  the  earth,  and  to  every  fowl 
of  the  air,  and  to  every  thing  that  creepeth  upon 
the  earth,  wherein  there  is  life,  I  have  given 
every  green  herb  for  meat:"  and  it  was  so. 

And  God  saw  every  thing  that  he  had  made, 
and,  behold,  it  was  very  good.  And  the  evening 
and  the  morning  were  the  sixth  day. 

Thus  the  heavens  and  the  earth  were  finished, 
and  all  the  host  of  them.  And  on  the  seventh  day 
God  ended  his  work  which  he  had  made;  and  he 
rested  on  the  seventh  day  from  all  his  work  which 
he  had  made.  And  God  blessed  the  seventh  day, 
and  sanctified  it:  because  that  in  it  he  had  rested 
from  all  his  work  which  God  created  and  made. 

These  are  the  generations  of  the  heavens  and  of 
the  earth  when  they  were  created,  in  the  day  that 
the  Lord  God  made  the  earth  and  the  heavens, 
and  every  phmt  of  the  field  before  it  was  in  the 
earth,  and  every  herb  of  the  field  before  it  grew: 


THE   GARDEN  OF  EDEN  7 

for  the  Lord  God  had  not  caused  it  to  rain  upon 
the  earth,  and  there  was  not  a  man  to  till  the 
ground.  But  there  went  up  a  mist  from  the  earth, 
and  watered  the  whole  face  of  the  ground. 

And  the  Lord  God  formed  man  of  the  dust  of 
the  ground,  and  breathed  into  his  nostrils  the 
breath  of  life;  and  man  became  a  living  soul. 

Genesis,  1,  2 

THE   GARDEN  OF  EDEN 

And  the  Lord  God  planted  a  garden  eastward 
in  Eden;  and  there  he  put  the  man  whom  he  had 
formed.  And  out  of  the  ground  made  the  Lord 
God  to  grow  every  tree  that  is  pleasant  to  the 
sight,  and  good  for  food;  the  tree  of  life  also  in  the 
midst  of  the  garden,  and  the  tree  of. knowledge 
of  good  and  evil.  And  a  river  went  out  of  Eden 
to  water  the  garden. 

And  the  Lord  God  took  the  man,  and  put  him 
into  the  garden  of  Eden  to  dress  it  and  to  keep  it. 
And  the  Lord  God  commanded  the  man,  saying, 
"Of  every  tree  of  the  garden  thou  mayest  freely 
eat,  but  of  the  tree  of  the  knowledge  of  good  and 
evil,  thou  shalt  not  eat  of  it:  for  in  the  day  that 
thou  eatest  thereof  thou  shalt  surely  die." 

And  the  Lord  God  said, "  It  is  not  good  that  the 
man  should  be  alone;  I  will  make  him  an  helpmeet 
for  him."  And  out  of  the  ground  the  Lord  God 


8  BIBLE   STORIES 

formed  every  beast  of  the  field,  and  every  fowl  of 
the  air;  and  brought  them  unto  Adam  to  see  what 
he  would  call  them :  and  whatsoever  Adam  called 
every  living  creature,  that  was  the  name  thereof. 
And  Adam  gave  names  to  all  cattle,  and  to  the 
fowl  of  the  air,  and  to  every  beast  of  the  field; 
but  for  Adam  there  was  not  found  an  help  meet 
for  him. 

And  the  Lord  God  caused  a  deep  sleep  to  fall 
upon  Adam,  and  he  slept:  and  he  took  one  of  his 
ribs,  and  closed  up  the  flesh  instead  thereof.  And 
the  rib,  which  the  Lord  God  had  taken  from  man, 
made  he  a  woman,  and  brought  her  unto  the  man. 

And  Adam  said,  "This  is  now  bone  of  my  bones, 
and  flesh  of  my  flesh.  She  shall  be  called  Woman, 
because  she  was  taken  out  of  Man."  Therefore 
shall  a  man  leave  his  father  and  his  mother,  and 
shall  cleave  unto  his  wife:  and  they  shall  be  one 
flesh. 

And  they  were  both  naked,  the  man  and  his  wife, 
and  were  not  ashamed. 

Genesis,  2 

GOD  SPEAKS 

Who  is  this  that  darkeneth  counsel  by  words 
without  knowledge.'* 

(iird  up  now  thy  loins  like  a  man;  for  I  will  de- 
mand of  thee,  and  answer  thou  me. 


GOD   SPEAKS  9 

Where  wast  thou  when  I  laid  the  foundations  of 
the  earth?  declare,  if  thou  hast  understanding. 

Who  hath  laid  the  measures  thereof,  if  thou 
knowest?  or  who  hath  stretched  the  line  upon  it? 

Whereupon  are   the   foundations  thereof   fas- 
tened? or  who  laid  the  corner  stone  thereof; 

When  the  morning  stars  sang  together,  and  all 
the  sons  of  God  shouted  for  joy? 

Or  who  shut  up  the  sea  with  doors,  when  it 
brake  forth? 

When  I  made  the  cloud  the  garment  thereof, 
and  thick  darkness  a  swaddlingband  for  it, 

And  brake  up  for  it  my  decreed  place,  and  set 
bars  and  doors, 

And  said,  Hitherto  shalt  thou  come,  but  no  fur- 
ther: and  here  shall  thy  proud  waves  be  stayed? 

Hast  thou  commanded  the  morning  since  thy 
days;  and  caused  the  day  spring  to  know  his  place; 

That  it  might  take  hold  of  the  ends  of  the  earth, 
that  the  wicked  might  be  shaken  out  of  it? 

It  is  turned  as  clay  to  the  seal ;  and  they  stand  as 
a  garment. 

And  from  the  wicked  their  light  is  withholden, 
and  the  high  arm  shall  be  broken. 

Hast  thou  entered  into  the  springs  of  the  sea? 
or  hast  thou  walked  in  the  search  of  the  depth? 
-  Have   the  gates   of  death   been   opened   unto 
thee?  or  hast  thou  seen  the  doors  of  the  shadow  of 
death? 


10  BIBLE  STORIES 

Hast  thou  comprehended  the  earth  in  its 
breadth?  declare  if  thou  knowest  it  all. 

Where  is  the  way  where  light  dwelleth?  and  as 
for  darkness,  where  is  the  place  thereof, 

That  thou  shouldest  take  it  to  the  bound 
thereof,  and  that  thou  shouldest  know  the  paths 
to  the  house  thereof? 

Knowest  thou  it,  because  thou  wast  then  born? 
or  because  the  number  of  thy  days  is  great? 

Hast  thou  entered  into  the  treasures  of  the 
snow?  or  hast  thou  seen  the  treasures  of  the  hail, 

Which  I  have  reserved  against  the  time  of 
trouble,  against  the  day  of  battle  and  war? 

By  what  way  is  the  light  parted,  which  scat- 
tereth  the  east  wind  upon  the  earth? 

Who  hath  divided  a  watercourse  for  the  over- 
flowing of  waters,  or  a  way  for  the  lightning  of 
thunder; 

To  cause  it  to  rain  on  the  earth,  where  no  man 
is;  on  the  wilderness,  wherein  there  is  no  man; 

To  satisfy  the  desolate  and  waste  ground;  and  to 
cause  the  bud  of  the  tender  herb  to  spring  forth? 

Canst  thou  bind  the  sweet  influences  of  Pleia- 
des, or  loose  the  bands  of  Orion? 

Canst  thou  bring  forth  Mazzaroth  in  his  sea- 
son? or  canst  thou  guide  Arcturus  wilh  his  sons? 

Knowest  thou  the  ordinances  of  heaven?  canst 
thou  set  the  dominion  thereof  in  the  earth? 


A  SONG  OF  CREATION  11 

Canst  thou  lift  up  thy  voice  to  the  clouds,  that 
abundance  of  waters  may  cover  thee? 

Canst  thou  send  lightnings,  that  they  may  go, 
and  say  unto  thee,  Here  we  are? 

Who  hath  put  wisdom  in  the  inward  parts?  or 
who  hath  given  understanding  to  the  heart? 

Job, 38 


A   SONG   OF   CREATION 

Praise  ye  the  Lord.  Praise  ye  the  Lord  from 
the  heavens:  praise  him  in  the  heights. 

Praise  ye  him,  all  his  angels:  praise  ye  him,  all 
his  hosts. 

Praise  ye  him,  sun  and  moon:  praise  him,  all  ye 
stars  of  light. 

Praise  him,  ye  heavens  of  heavens,  and  ye 
waters  that  be  above  the  heavens. 

Let  them  praise  the  name  of  the  Lord:  for  he 
commanded,  and  they  were  created. 

He  hath  also  stablished  them  for  ever  and 
ever:  he  hath  made  a  decree  which  shall  not 
pass. 

Praise  the  Lord  from  the  earth,  ye  sea-mon- 
sters, and  all  deeps: 

Fire,  and  hail;  snow,  and  vapours;  stormy  wind 
fulfilling  his  word: 

Mountains,  and  all  hills;  fruitful  trees,  and  all 
cedars: 


12  BIBLE   STORIES 

Beasts,  and  all  cattle;  creeping  things,  and  fly- 
ing fowl: 

Kings  of  the  earth,  and  all  people;  princes,  and 
all  judges  of  the  earth: 

Both  young  men,  and  maidens;  old  men,  and 
children: 

Let  them  praise  the  name  of  the  Lord:  for  his 
name  alone  is  excellent;  his  glory  is  above  the 
earth  and  heaven. 

Psalm  148 

For  more  about  the  Creation,  read :  "  Doth  Not  Wisdom 
Cry?"  Proverbs,  chap.  8 ;  ''Some  Songs  of  Creation,"  Job, 
chaps.  35-^1:  Psalms,  65,  104;  "  ^Z/  fUm  All  Things  Were 
Made,"  John,  chap.  ] ,  verses  1-18:  chap.  8,  verse  58;  and 
chap.  17;  1  Corinthians,  chap.  8,  veise  6;  Ephesians,  cliap.3, 
verse  9;  Colossians.  chap.  1,  verses  12-23 


^he  lost  ^ara&e 


And  the  Lord  God  said  unto  the  serpent,  "Because  thou  hast 
done  this,  thou  art  cursed  above  all  cattle,  and  above  every  beast 
of  the  field;  upon  thi/  belly  shall  thou  go,  and  dust  shall  thou  eat 
all  the  days  of  thy  life. 

"And  I  will  put  enmity  between  thee  and  the  ivoman,  and 
between  thy  seed  and  her  seed;  it  shall  bruise  thy  head,  and  thou 
slialt  bruise  his  heel." 

Genesis,  3 


THE   SUBTIL  SERPENT 

ow  the  serpent  was  more  subtil  than  any 
beast  of  the  field  which  the  Lord  God 
'had  made.  And  he  said  unto  the  wo- 
man, "Yea,  hath  God  said,  'Ye  shall  not 
eat  of  every  tree  of  the  garden?'" 
And  the  woman  said  unto  the  serpent,  "We 
may  eat  of  the  fruit  of  the  trees  of  the  garden;  but 
of  the  fruit  of  the  tree  which  is  in  the  midst  of 
the  garden,  God  hath  said,  'Ye  shall  not  eat  of 
it,  neither  shall  ye  touch  it,  lest  ye  die.'" 

And  the  serpent  said  unto  the  woman,  "Ye 
shall  not  surely  die:  for  God  doth  know  that  in  the 
day  ye  eat  thereof,  then  your  eyes  sh?,ll  be  opened, 
and  ye  shall  be  as  gods,  knowing  good  and  evil." 
And  when  the  woman  saw  that  the  tree  was 
good  for  food,  and  that  it  was  pleasant  to  the 
eyes,  and  a  tree  to  be  desired  to  make  one  wise,  she 
took  of  the  fruit  thereof,  and  did  eat,  and  gave 
also  unto  her  husband  with  her;  and  he  did  eat. 
And  the  eyes  of  them  both  were  opened,  and  they 
knew  that  they  were  naked;  and  they  sewed  fig 
leaves  together,  and  made  themselves  aprons. 

And  they  heard  the  voice  of  the  Lord  God 
walking  in  the  garden  in  the  cool  of  the  day. 
And  Adam  and  his  wife  hid  themselves  from  the 


16  BIBLE  STORIES 

presence  of  the  Lord  God  amongst  the  trees  of  the 
garden. 

And  the  Lord  God  called  unto  Adam,  and  said 
unto  him,  "Where  art  thou?" 

And  he  said,  "I  heard  thy  voice  in  the  garden, 
and  I  was  afraid,  because  I  was  naked;  and  I  hid 
myself." 

And  he  said,  "Who  told  thee  that  thou  wast 
naked?  Hast  thou  eaten  of  the  tree,  whereof  I 
commanded  thee  that  thou  shouldest  not  eat?" 

And  the  man  said,  "The  woman  whom  thou 
gavest  to  be  with  me,  she  gave  me  of  the  tree, 
and  I  did  eat." 

And  the  Lord  God  said  unto  the  woman, 
"What  is  this  that  thou  hast  done?" 

And  the  woman  said,  "The  serpent  beguiled 
me,  and  I  did  eat." 

And  the  Lord  God  said  unto  the  serpent,  "Be- 
cause thou  hast  done  this,  thou  art  cursed  above 
all  cattle,  and  above  every  beast  of  the  field;  upon 
thy  belly  shalt  thou  go,  and  dust  shalt  thou  eat 
all  the  days  of  thy  life.  And  I  will  put  enmity 
between  thee  and  the  woman,  and  between  thy 
seed  and  her  seed;  it  shall  bruise  thy  head,  and 
thou  shalt  bruise  his  heel." 

Unto  the  woman  he  said,  "I  will  greatly  multi- 
ply thy  sorrow  and  thy  conception;  in  sorrow  thou 
shalt  bring  forth  children;  and  thy  desire  shall 
be  to  thy  husband,  and  he  shall  rule  over  thee." 


THE  SUBTIL  SERPENT  17 

And  unto  Adam  he  said,  "Because  thou  hast 
hearkened  unto  the  voice  of  thy  wife,  and  hast 
eaten  of  the  tree,  of  which  I  connnanded  thee, 
saying,  'Thou  shalt  not  eat  of  it:'  cursed  is  the 
ground  for  thy  sake;  in  sorrow  shalt  thou  eat  of  it 
all  the  days  of  thy  life.  Thorns  also  and  thistles 
shall  it  bring  forth  to  thee;  and  thou  shalt  eat  the 
herb  of  the  field.  In  the  sweat  of  thy  face  shalt 
thou  eat  bread,  till  thou  return  unto  the  ground; 
for  out  of  it  wast  thou  taken :  for  dust  thou  art, 
and  unto  dust  shalt  thou  return." 

And  Adam  called  his  wife's  name  Eve;  because 
she  was  the  mother  of  all  living.  Unto  Adam  also 
and  to  his  wife  did  the  Lord  God  make  coats  of 
skins,  and  clothed  them. 

And  the  Lord  God  said,  "Behold,  the  man  is 
become  as  one  of  us,  to  know  good  and  evil :  and 
now,  lest  he  put  forth  his  hand,  and  take  also  of 
the  tree  of  life,  and  eat,  and  live  for  ever:"  There- 
fore the  Lord  God  sent  him  forth  from  the  garden 
of  Eden,  to  till  the  ground  from  whence  he  was 
taken.  So  he  drove  out  the  man;  and  he  placed  at 
the  east  of  the  garden  of  Eden  Cherubims,  and  a 
flaming  sword  which  turned  every  way,  to  keep 
the  way  of  the  tree  of  life. 

Genesis,  3 

For  more  about  the  Old  Serpent  read :  "  The  Fallen  Angels" 
Iftni(ih,('ha]).  IJf,  verses  0-1 '> ;  Lulce,  10,  verses  17-20 ;  2  Corin- 
thians,chap.  11,  verses  1^-15;  Jude, verse  6;  "The  Roarimj 


18  BIBLE  STORIES 

Lion,^^  1  Peter,  chap.  5,  verses  8-9 ;  "The  Temptation  in  the 
Wilderness,'^  Matthew,  chap.  4,  verses  1-11;  Luke,  chap.  4-, 
verses  1-13  ;  "  The  Whole  Armour  of  God,"  Ephesians,  chap.  G, 
verses  10-18 : 1  Corinthians,  chap.  10,  verse  13 ;  Hebrews,  chap, 
k,  verses  Ilf-IG  ;  "  The  Punishment  oj  that  Old  Serpent,''  Revela- 
tion, chap.  20 


THE   FIRST  MITRDERER 

And  Eve  bare  Cain,  and  said,  "I  have  gotten 
a  man  from  the  Lord."  And  she  again  bare  his 
brother  Abel.  And  Abel  was  a  keeper  of  sheep, 
but  Cain  was  a  tiller  of  the  ground. 

And  in  process  of  time  it  came  to  pass,  that 
Cain  brought  of  the  fruit  of  the  ground  an  offer- 
ing unto  the  Lord.  And  Abel,  he  also  brought  of 
the  firstlings  of  his  flock  and  of  the  fat  thereof. 
And  the  Lord  had  respect  unto  Abel  and  to  his 
offering.  But  unto  Cain  and  to  his  offering  he  had 
not  respect.  And  Cain  was  very  wroth,  and  his 
countenance  fell. 

And  the  Lord  said  unto  Cain,  "Why  art  thou 
wroth .5^  and  why  is  thy  countenance  fallen.''  If 
thou  doest  well,  shalt  thou  not  be  accepted.''  and 
if  thou  doest  not  well,  sin  coucheth  at  the  door; 
and  unto  thee  shall  be  its  desire,  but  do  thou  rule 
over  it." 

And  Cain  talked  with  Abel  his  brother:  and  it 
came  to  pass,  when  they  were  in  the  field,  that  Cain 
rose  up  against  Abel  his  brother,  and  slew  him. 


AH1:L  S   SAlKllUE 


THE   FIRST  MURDERER  19 

And  the  Lord  said  unto  Cain,  "Where  is  Abel 
thy  brother?" 

And  he  said,  "I  know  not.  Am  I  my  brother's 
keeper?  " 

And  he  said,  "What  hast  thou  done?  the  voice 
of  thy  brother's  blood  crieth  unto  me  from  the 
ground.  And  now  art  thou  cursed  from  the  earth, 
which  hath  opened  her  mouth  to  receive  thy 
brother's  blood  from  thy  hand.  When  thou  till- 
est  the  ground,  it  shall  not  henceforth  yield  unto 
thee  her  strength ;  a  fugitive  and  a  vagabond  shalt 
thou  be  in  the  earth." 

And  Cain  said  unto  the  Lord,  "  My  punishment 
is  greater  than  I  can  bear.  Behold,  thou  hast 
driven  me  out  this  day  from  the  face  of  the  earth; 
and  from  thy  face  shall  I  be  hid;  and  I  shall  be  a 
fugitive  and  a  vagabond  in  the  earth ;  and  it  shall 
come  to  pass,  that  every  one  that  findeth  me  shall 
slay  me." 

And  the  Lord  said  unto  him,  "Therefore  who- 
soever slayeth  Cain,  vengeance  shall  be  taken  on 
him  sevenfold."  And  the  Lord  set  a  mark  upon 
Cain,  lest  any  finding  him  should  kill  him. 

And  Cain  went  out  from  the  presence  of  the 
Lord,  and  dwelt  in  the  land  of  Nod,  on  the  east 
of  Eden. 

Genesis,  4 

For  more  about  "Cain  and  Abel""  read:  1  John,  chap.  3, 
verses  10-2  If. 


20  BIBLE  STORIES 

THE  ARK  OF   GOPHER  WOOD 

And  it  came  to  pass,  when  men  began  to  mul- 
tiply on  the  face  of  the  earth,  God  saw  that  the 
wickedness  of  man  was  great  in  the  earth,  and 
that  every  imagination  of  the  thoughts  of  his 
heart  was  only  evil  continually.  And  it  repented 
the  Lord  that  he  had  made  man  on  the  earth,  and 
it  grieved  him  at  his  heart. 

And  the  Lord  said,  "I  will  destroy  man  whom 
I  have  created  from  the  face  of  the  earth;  both 
man,  and  beast,  and  the  creeping  thing,  and  the 
fowls  of  the  air;  for  it  repenteth  me  that  I  have 
made  them." 

But  Noah  found  grace  in  the  eyes  of  the  Lord. 

These  are  the  generations  of  Noah:  Noah  was 
a  just  man  and  perfect  in  his  generations,  and 
Noah  walked  with  God.  And  Noah  begat  three 
sons,  Shem,  Ilam,  and  Ja})heth. 

The  earth  also  was  corrupt  before  God,  and  the 
earth  was  filled  with  violence.  And  God  looked 
upon  the  earth,  and,  behold,  it  was  corrupt;  for 
all  flesh  had  corrupted  his  way  upon  the  earth. 

And  God  said  unto  Noah,  "The  end  of  all  flesh 
is  come  before  me;  for  the  earth  is  filled  with 
violence  through  them;  and,  behold,  I  will  destroy 
ilieiH  with  the  earlh. 

"Make  thee  an  ark  of  gopher  wood.  Booms 
shalt  thou  make  in  the  ark,  and  shalt  pitch  it  withia 


THE  ARK  OF  GOPHER  WOOD      21 

and  without  with  pitch.  And  this  is  the  fashion 
which  thou  shalt  make  it  of.  The  length  of  the 
ark  shall  be  three  hundred  cubits,  the  breadth  of 
it  fifty  cubits,  and  the  height  of  it  thirty  cubits. 
A  window  shalt  thou  make  to  the  ark,  and  in  a 
cubit  shalt  thou  finish  it  above;  and  the  door  of 
the  ark  shalt  thou  set  in  the  side  thereof;  with 
lower,  second,  and  third  stories  shalt  thou  make  it. 

"And,  behold,  I,  even  I,  do  bring  a  flood  of 
waters  upon  the  earth,  to  destroy  all  flesh, 
wherein  is  the  breath  of  life,  from  under  heaven; 
and  every  thing  that  is  in  the  earth  shall  die. 
But  with  thee  will  I  establish  my  covenant;  and 
thou  shalt  come  into  the  ark,  thou,  and  thy  sons, 
and  thy  wife,  and  thy  sons'  wives  with  thee. 

"And  of  every  living  thing  of  all  flesh,  two  of 
every  sort  shalt  thou  bring  into  the  ark,  to  keep 
them  alive  with  thee;  they  shall  be  male  and  fe- 
male. Of  fowls  after  their  kind,  and  of  cattle 
after  their  kind,  of  every  creeping  thing  of  the 
earth  after  his  kind,  two  of  every  sort  shall  come 
unto  thee,  to  keep  them  alive.  And  take  thou 
unto  thee  of  all  food  that  is  eaten,  and  thou  shalt 
gather  it  to  thee;  and  it  shall  be  for  food  for  thee, 
and  for  them." 

Thus  did  Noah;  according  to  all  that  God  com- 
manded him,  so  did  he.  Genesis,  C 

For  more  about  Noah  read:  ".J.v  it  M'a.s-  //;  //;('  Da//.-<  of  Xoc," 
St.  Lulce,  chap.  17,  ver.ses  20-37;  and  "  (iod  Waited  in  the  Days 
of  Noah,"  1  Peter,  chap.  3,  verses  lS-22 


22  BIBLE  STORIES 

THE   FLOOD  OF  GREAT  WATERS 

And  the  Lord  said  unto  Noah,  "Come  thou 
and  all  thy  house  into  the  ark;  for  thee  have  I 
seen  righteous  before  me  in  this  generation. 

"Of  every  clean  beast  thou  shalt  take  to  thee 
by  sevens,  the  male  and  his  female:  and  of  beasts 
that  are  not  clean  by  two,  the  male  and  his  female. 
Of  fowls  also  of  the  air  by  sevens,  the  male  and 
the  female;  to  keep  seed  alive  upon  the  face  of  all 
the  earth.  For  yet  seven  days,  and  I  will  cause  it 
to  rain  upon  the  earth  forty  days  and  forty  nights; 
and  every  living  substance  that  I  have  made  will 
I  destroy  from  off  the  face  of  the  earth." 

And  Noah  did  according  unto  all  that  the  Lord 
commanded  him.  And  Noah  was  six  hundred  years 
old  when  the  flood  of  waters  was  upon  the  earth. 

And  Noah  went  in,  and  his  sons,  and  his  wife, 
and  his  sons'  wives  with  him,  into  the  ark,  be- 
cause of  the  waters  of  the  flood.  Of  clean  beasts, 
and  of  beasts  that  are  not  clean,  and  of  fowls, 
and  of  everything  that  creepcth  upon  the  earth, 
there  went  in  two  and  two  unto  Noah  into  the 
ark,  the  male  and  the  female,  as  God  had  com- 
manded Noah. 

And  it  came  to  pass  after  seven  days,  that  the 
waters  of  the  flood  were  upon  the  earth.  In  the 
six  hundredth  year  of  Noah's  life,  in  the  second 
month,  the  seventeenth  day  of  the  month,  the 


THE   FLOOD   OF  GREAT  WATERS    23 

same  day  were  all  the  fountains  of  the  great  deep 
broken  up,  and  the  windows  of  heaven  were 
opened.  And  the  rain  was  upon  the  earth  forty 
days  and  forty  nights. 

In  the  selfsame  day  entered  Noah,  and  Shem, 
and  Ham,  and  Japheth,  the  sons  of  Noah,  and 
Noah's  wife,  and  the  three  wives  of  his  sons  with 
them,  into  the  ark;  they,  and  every  beast  after 
his  kind,  and  all  the  cattle  after  their  kind,  and 
every  creeping  thing  that  creepeth  upon  the  earth 
after  his  kind,  and  every  fowl  after  his  kind,  every 
bird  of  every  sort.  And  they  went  in  unto  Noah 
into  the  ark,  two  and  two  of  all  flesh,  wherein  is 
the  breath  of  life.  And  they  that  went  in,  went  in 
male  and  female  of  all  flesh,  as  God  had  com- 
manded him:  and  the  Lord  shut  him  in. 

And  the  flood  was  forty  days  upon  the  earth. 
And  the  waters  increased,  and  bare  up  the  ark^ 
and  it  was  lift  up  above  the  earth.  And  the  wa- 
ters prevailed,  and  were  increased  greatly  upon  the 
earth ;  and  the  ark  went  upon  the  face  of  the  wa- 
ters. And  the  waters  prevailed  exceedingly  upon 
the  earth;  and  all  the  high  hills,  that  were  under 
the  whole  heaven,  were  covered.  Fifteen  cubits 
upward  did  the  waters  prevail;  and  the  moun- 
tains were  covered. 

And  all  flesh  died  that  moved  upon  the  earth, 
both  of  fowl,  and  of  cattle,  and  of  beast,  and 
of  every  creeping  thing  that  creepeth  upon  the 


24  BIBLE  STORIES 

earth,  and  every  man.  All  in  whose  nostrils  was 
the  breath  of  life,  of  all  that  was  in  the  dry  land, 
died.  And  every  living  substance  was  destroyed 
which  was  upon  the  face  of  the  ground,  both  man, 
and  cattle,  and  the  creeping  things,  and  the  fowl 
of  the  heaven;  and  they  were  destroyed  from  the 
earth:  and  Noah  only  remained  alive,  and  they 
that  were  with  him  in  the  ark. 

And  the  waters  prevailed  upon  the  earth  an 
hundred  and  fifty  days. 

Genesis,  7 

THE  RAVEN  AND  THE  DOVE 

And  God  remembered  Noah,  and  every  living 
thing,  and  all  the  cattle  that  was  with  him  in  the 
ark.  And  God  made  a  wind  to  pass  over  the  earth, 
and  the  waters  assuaged.  The  fountains  also  of 
the  deep  and  the  windows  of  heaven  were  stopped, 
and  the  rain  from  heaven  was  restrained.  And  the 
waters  returned  from  off  the  earth  continually: 
and  after  the  end  of  the  hundred  and  fifty  days 
the  waters  were  abated. 

And  the  ark  rested  in  the  seventh  month,  on 
the  seventeenth  day  of  the  month,  upon  the 
mountains  of  Ararat.  And  the  waters  decreased 
continually  until  the  tenth  month.  In  the  tenth 
month,  on  the  first  day  of  the  month,  were  the 
tops  of  the  mountains  seen. 


THE  RAVEN  AND  THE  DOVE   25 

And  it  came  to  pass  at  the  end  of  forty  days, 
that  Noah  opened  the  window  of  the  ark  which  he 
had  made.  And  he  sent  forth  a  raven,  which  went 
forth  to  and  fro,  until  the  waters  were  dried  up 
from  off  the  earth.  Also  he  sent  forth  a  dove  from 
him,  to  see  if  the  waters  were  abated  from  off  the 
face  of  the  ground.  But  the  dove  found  no  rest 
for  the  sole  of  her  foot,  and  she  returned  unto  him 
into  the  ark,  for  the  waters  were  on  the  face  of  the 
whole  earth.  Then  he  put  forth  his  hand,  and 
took  her,  and  pulled  her  in  unto  him  into  the  ark. 

And  he  stayed  yet  other  seven  days;  and  again 
he  sent  forth  the  dove  out  of  the  ark.  And  the 
dove  came  in  to  him  in  the  evening;  and,  lo,  in  her 
mouth  was  an  olive  leaf  pluckt  off.  So  Noah  knew 
that  the  waters  were  abated  from  off  the  earth. 

And  he  stayed  yet  other  seven  days ;  and  sent 
forth  the  dove;  which  returned  not  again  unto 
him  any  more. 

And  it  came  to  pass  in  the  six  hundredth  and 
first  year,  in  the  first  month,  the  first  day  of 
the  month,  the  waters  were  dried  up  from  oft" 
the  earth.  And  Noah  removed  the  covering  of  the 
ark,  and  looked,  and,  behold,  the  face  of  the 
ground  was  dry.  And  in  the  second  month,  on 
the  seven  and  twentieth  day  of  the  month,  was 
the  earth  dried. 

And  God  spake  unto  Noah,  saying,  "Go  forth 
of  the  ark,  thou,  and  thy  wife,  and  thy  sons,  and 


26  BIBLE   STORIES 

thy  sons'  wives  with  thee.  Bring  forth  with  thee 
every  Hving  thing  that  is  with  thee,  of  all  flesh, 
both  of  fowl,  and  of  cattle,  and  of  every  creeping 
thing  that  creepeth  upon  the  earth ;  that  they  may 
breed  abundantly  in  the  earth,  and  be  fruitful, 
and  multiply  upon  the  earth." 

And  Noah  went  forth,  and  his  sons,  and  his 
wife,  and  his  sons'  wives  with  him.  Every  beast, 
every  creeping  thing,  and  every  fowl,  and  what- 
soever creepeth  upon  the  earth,  after  their  kinds, 
went  forth  out  of  the  ark. 

And  Noah  builded  an  altar  unto  the  Lord;  and 
took  of  every  clean  beast,  and  of  every  clean  fowl, 
and  offered  burnt  offerings  on  the  altar. 

And  the  Lord  smelled  a  sweet  savour;  and  the 
Lord  said  in  his  heart,  "I  will  not  again  curse  the 
ground  any  more  for  man's  sake;  for  the  imagina- 
tion of  man's  heart  is  evil  from  his  youth;  neither 
will  I  again  smite  any  more  every  thing  living,  as 
I  have  done.  While  the  earth  remaineth,  seed- 
time and  harvest,  and  cold  and  heal,  and  summer 
and  winter,  and  day  and  night  shall  not  cease," 

Genesis,  8 


THE  FIRST  RAINBOW  27 

THE   FIRST  RAINBOW 

And  God  spake  unto  Noah,  and  to  his  sons  witli 
him,  saying,  "And  I,  behold,  I  estabhsh  my  cove- 
nant with  you,  and  with  your  seed  after  you;  and 
with  every  living  creature  that  is  with  you,  of 
the  fowl,  of  the  cattle,  and  of  every  beast  of  the 
earth  with  you;  from  all  that  go  out  of  the  ark, 
to  every  beast  of  the  earth.  And  I  will  establish 
my  covenant  with  you ;  neither  shall  all  flesh  be 
cut  off  any  more  by  the  waters  of  a  flood ;  neither 
shall  there  any  more  be  a  flood  to  destroy  the 
earth." 

And  God  said,  "This  is  the  token  of  the  cove- 
nant which  I  make  between  me  and  you  and  every 
living  creature  that  is  with  you,  for  perpetual  gen- 
erations. I  do  set  my  bow  in  the  cloud,  and  it  shall 
be  for  a  token  of  a  covenant  between  me  and  the 
earth.  And  it  shall  come  to  pass,  when  I  bring  a 
cloud  over  the  earth,  that  the  bow  shall  be  seen  in 
the  cloud.  And  I  will  remember  my  covenant, 
which  is  between  me  and  you  and  every  living 
creature  of  all  flesh;  and  the  waters  shall  no  more 
become  a  flood  to  destroy  all  flesh.  And  the  bow 
shall  be  in  the  cloud;  and  I  will  look  upon  it,  that 
I  may  remember  the  everlasting  covenant  be- 
tween God  and  every  living  creature  of  all  flesh 
that  is  upon  the  earth." 

And  God  said  imto  Noah,  "This  is  the  token  of 


28  BIBLE   STORIES 

the  covenant,  which  I  have  established  between 
me  and  all  flesh  that  is  upon  the  earth." 

And  the  sons  of  Noah,  that  went  forth  of  the 
ark,  were  Shem,  and  Ham,  and  Japheth:  and  Ham 
is  the  father  of  Canaan.  These  are  the  three  sons 
of  Noah,  and  of  them  was  the  whole  earth  over- 
spread. 

Genesis,  9 

Read  also:  "Mans  Place  In  Nature"  Genesis,  chap.  9, 
verses  1-7;  "  The  Curse  of  Ham,''  Genesis,  chap.  9,  verses 
20-29 


THE   TOWER  OF  BABEL 

And  the  whole  earth  was  of  one  language,  and 
of  one  speech. 

And  it  came  to  pass,  as  they  journeyed  from  the 
east,  that  they  found  a  plain  in  the  land  of  Shinar; 
and  they  dwelt  there. 

And  they  said  one  to  another,  "Go  to,  let  us 
make  brick,  and  burn  them  throughly."  And 
they  had  brick  for  stone,  and  slime  had  they  for 
morter.  And  they  said,  "Go  to,  let  us  build  us 
a  city  and  a  tower,  whose  top  may  reach  unto 
heaven;  and  let  us  make  us  a  name,  lest  we  be 
scattered  abroad  upon  the  face  of  the  whole 
earth." 

And  the  Lord  came  down  to  see  the  city  and  the 
tower,  which  the  children  of  men  builded.    And 


THE  TOWER  OF  BABEL  29 

the  Lord  said,  "Behold,  the  people  is  one,  and 
they  have  all  one  language;  and  this  they  begin  to 
do:  and  now  nothing  will  be  restrained  from  them, 
which  they  have  imagined  to  do.  Go  to,  let  us  go 
down,  and  there  confound  their  language,  that 
they  may  not  understand  one  another's  speech." 
So  the  Lord  scattered  them  abroad  from  thence 
upon  the  face  of  all  the  earth.  And  they  left  off 
to  build  the  city.  Therefore  is  the  name  of  it 
called  Babel;  because  the  Lord  did  there  confound 
the  language  of  all  the  earth:  and  from  thence 
did  the  Lord  scatter  them  abroad  upon  the  face  of 
all  the  earth. 

Genesis,  11 

Head  also  about:  "Jubal  and  Tubal-Cain,"  Genesis,  chap, 
4,  verses  20-22:  "  Ejioch  and  Methuselah,"  Genesis,  chap.  5, 
verses  18-27;  "  Nimrod  the  Mighty  Hunter,"  Genesis,  chap.  10, 
verses  8-12 


graham  (he  tfrim})  of  ®of) 


And  lie  believed  in  tlie  Lord;  and  he  counted  it  to  him  for 
righteousness. 

Genesis,  15 


"I  WILL  MAKE  OF  THEE  A  GREAT 
NATION  " 

lAH  begat  Abram,  Nahor,  and  Haran; 
and  Haran  begat  Lot.  And  Haran  died 
before  his  father  Terah  in  the  land  of 
his  nativity,  in  Ur  of  the  Chaldees.  And 
Abram  and  Nahor  took  them  wives:  the 
name  of  Abram's  wife  was  Sarai.  She  had 
no  child. 

And  Terah  took  Abram  his  son,  and  Lot  the  son 
of  Haran  his  son's  son,  and  Sarai  his  daughter  in 
law,  his  son  Abram's  wife;  and  they  went  forth 
with  them  from  Ur  of  the  Chaldees,  to  go  into 
the  land  of  Canaan,  and  they  came  unto  Haran 
and  dwelt  there. 

Now  the  Lord  had  said  unto  Abram,  "  Get  thee 
out  of  thy  country,  and  from  thy  kindred,  and 
from  thy  father's  house,  unto  a  land  that  I  will 
shew  thee.  And  I  will  make  of  thee  a  great  na- 
tion, and  I  will  bless  thee,  and  make  thy  name 
great;  and  thou  shalt  be  a  blessing.  And  I  will 
bless  them  that  bless  thee,  and  curse  him  that 
curseth  thee :  and  in  thee  shall  all  families  of  the 
earth  be  blessed." 

So  Abram  departed,  as  the  Lord  had  spoken 
unto  him;  and  Lot  went  with  him.    And  Abram 


34  BIBLE   STORIES 

was  seventy  and  five  years  old  when  he  departed 
out  of  Haran.  And  Abram  took  Sarai  his  wife, 
and  Lot  his  brother's  son,  and  all  their  substance 
that  they  had  gathered,  and  the  souls  that  they 
had  gotten  in  Haran;  and  they  went  forth  to  go 
into  the  land  of  Canaan;  and  into  the  land  of 
Canaan  they  came. 

And  Abram  passed  through  the  land  unto  the 
place  of  Sichem,  unto  the  plain  of  ]Moreh.  x\nd 
the  Canaanite  was  then  in  the  land.  And  the 
Lord  appeared  unto  Abram,  and  said,  "Unto  thy 
seed  will  I  give  this  land:"  and  there  builded 
he  an  altar  unto  the  Lord,  who  appeared  unto 
him. 

And  he  removed  from  thence  unto  a  mountain 
on  the  east  of  Beth-el,  and  pitched  his  tent,  having 
Beth-el  on  the  west,  and  Hai  on  the  east.  And 
there  he  builded  an  altar  unto  the  Lord,  and 
called  upon  the  name  of  the  Lord. 

Genesis,  11,  12 

For  more  about  this  promise  to  Abraham  read:  "The  Light 
of  the  World,"  St.  John,  chap.  S,  verses  12-o0 

THE  BATTLE  OF  THE  FOUR  KINGS 
WITH  FIVE 

And  it  came  to  pass  in  the  days  of  Amraphel 
king  of  Shinar,  Arioch  king  of  Ellasar,  Chedor- 
laonier  king  of  Elam,  and  Tidal  king  of  nations; 


THE   BATTLE  OF  THE   KINGS       35 

there  went  out  the  king  of  Sodom,  and  the  king  of 
Gomorrah,  and  the  king  of  Admah,  and  the  king 
of  Zeboiim,  and  the  king  of  Bela  (the  same  is 
Zoar;)  and  they  joined  battle  with  them  in  the 
vale  of  Siddim;  with  Chedorlaomer  the  king  of 
Elam,  and  with  Tidal  king  of  nations,  and  Am- 
raphel  king  of  Shinar,  and  Arioch  king  of  Ellasar; 
four  kings  with  five. 

And  the  vale  of  Siddim  was  full  of  slimepits; 
and  the  kings  of  Sodom  and  Gomorrah  fled,  and 
fell  there;  and  they  that  remained  fled  to  the 
mountain.  And  they  took  all  the  goods  of  Sodom 
and  Gomorrah,  and  all  their  victuals,  and  went 
their  way.  And  they  took  Lot,  Abram's  brother's 
son,  who  dwelt  in  Sodom,  and  his  goods,  and 
departed. 

And  there  came  one  that  had  escaped,  and  told 
Abram  the  Hebrew;  for  he  dwelt  in  the  plain 
fo  Mamre  the  Amorite,  brother  of  Eshcol.  and 
brother  of  Aner:  and  these  were  confederate  with 
Abram. 

And  when  Abram  heard  that  his  brother  was 
taken  captive,  he  armed  his  trained  servants, 
born  in  his  own  house,  three  hundred  and  eight- 
een, and  pursued  them  unto  Dan,  And  he  di- 
vided himself  against  them,  he  and  his  servants, 
by  night,  and  smote  them,  and  pursued  them 
unto  Hobah,  which  is  on  the  left  hand  of  Damas- 
cus.  And  he  brought  back  all  the  goods,  and  also 


36  BIBLE  STORIES 

brought  again  his  brother  Lot,  and  his  goods,  and 
the  women  also,  and  the  people. 

And  the  king  of  Sodom  went  out  to  meet  him 
after  his  return  from  the  slaughter  of  Chedor- 
laomer,  and  of  the  kings  that  were  with  him,  at 
the  valley  of  Shaveh,  which  is  the  king's  dale. 

Genesis,  14 

Read  "How  Lot  Came  to  Dwell  in  Sodom,"  Genesis,  chap.  13 


THE  PRIEST  OF  THE  MOST  HIGH  GOD 

And  Melchizedek  king  of  Salem  brought  forth 
bread  and  wine:  and  he  was  the  priest  of  the 
most  high  God. 

And  he  blessed  him,  and  said,  "Blessed  be 
Abram  of  the  most  high  God,  possessor  of  heaven 
and  earth:  and  blessed  be  the  most  high  God, 
which  hath  delivered  thine  enemies  into  thy 
hand."   And  he  gave  him  tithes  of  all. 

And  the  king  of  Sodom  said  unto  Abram, 
"Give  me  the  persons,  and  take  the  goods  to  thy- 
self." 

And  Abram  said  to  the  king  of  Sodom,  "I  have 
lift  up  mine  hand  unto  the  Lord,  the  most  high 
God,  the  possessor  of  heaven  and  earth,  that  I 
will  not  take  from  a  thread  even  to  a  shoelatchet, 
and  that  I  will  not  take  any  thing  that  is  thine, 
lest  thou  shouldest  say,  *I  have  made  Abram 


ABRAHAM'S   GREAT  REWARD       37 

rich.'  Save  only  that  which  the  young  men  have 
eaten,  and  the  portion  of  the  men  which  went 
with  me,  Aner,  Eshcol,  and  Mamre;  let  them  take 
their  portion." 

Genesis,  14 

For  more  about  Melchizedek  read:  "  TJiis  Melchizedek," 
Psalm  110,  and  Hebrews,  chaps.  5  and  6,  verse  20,  chap.  7, 
verses  1-^ 


ABRAHAM'S  EXCEEDING   GREAT 
REWARD 

After  these  things  the  word  of  the  Lord  came 
unto  Abram  in  a  vision,  saying,  "Fear  not, 
Abram :  I  am  thy  shield,  and  thy  exceeding  great 
reward." 

And  Abram  said,  "Lord  God,  what  wilt  thou 
give  me,  seeing  I  go  childless,  and  the  steward  of 
my  house  is  this  Eliezer  of  Damascus.^^"  And 
Abram  said,  "Behold,  to  me  thou  hast  given 
no  seed:  and,  lo,  one  born  in  my  house  is  mine 
heir." 

And,  behold,  the  word  of  the  Lord  came  unto 
him,  saying,  "This  shall  not  be  thine  heir;  but 
thine  own  son  shall  be  thine  heir." 

And  he  brought  him  forth  abroad,  and  said, 
"Look  now  toward  heaven,  and  tell  the  stars,  if 
thou  be  able  to  number  them;"  and  he  said  unto 
him,  "so  shall  thy  seed  be." 


38  BIBLE  STORIES 

And  hebelieyed  in  the  Lord;  and  he  counted  it 
to  him  for  righteousness. 

Genesis,  15 


Read  also  "Bi/  Faith,"  Hebreio^f,  chap.  11;  "Why  Ahravi 
Was  Called  Abraham,''  Genesis,  chap.  17,  verses  1-8 


"NAY,  BUT  THOU  DIDST  LAUGH" 

And  the  Lord  appeared  unto  him  in  the  plains 
of  Mamre :  and  he  sat  in  the  tent  door  in  the  heat 
of  the  day.  And  he  Hft  up  his  eyes  and  looked, 
and,  lo,  three  men  stood  by  him.  And  when  he 
saw  them,  he  ran  to  meet  them  from  the  tent  door, 
and  bowed  himself  toward  the  ground,  and  said, 
"My  Lord,  if  now  I  have  found  favour  in  thy 
sight,  pass  not  away,  I  pray  thee,  from  thy  serv- 
ant. Let  a  little  water,  I  pray  you,  be  fetched, 
and  wash  your  feet,  and  rest  yourselves  under  the 
tree.  And  I  will  fetch  a  morsel  of  bread,  and  com- 
fort ye  your  hearts;  after  that  ye  shall  pass  on: 
for  therefore  are  ye  come  to  your  servant." 

And  they  said,  "So  do,  as  thou  hast  said." 

And  Abraham  hastened  into  the  tent  unto 
Sarah,  and  said,  "Make  ready  quickly  three  meas- 
ures of  fine  meal,  knead  it,  and  make  cakes  upon 
the  hearth." 

And  Abraham  ran  unto  the  herd,  and  fetcht  a 
calf  tender  and  good,  and  gave  it  unto  a  young 


SODOM  AND   GOMORRAH  39 

man;  and  he  hasted  to  dress  it.  And  he  took  but- 
ter, and  milk,  and  the  calf  which  he  had  dressed, 
and  set  it  before  them;  and  he  stood  by  them 
under  the  tree,  and  they  did  eat. 

And  they  said  unto  him,  "Where  is  Sarah  thy 
wife?"  And  he  said,  "Behold,  in  the  tent."  And 
he  said,  "I  will  certainly  return  unto  thee,  and, 
lo,  Sarah  thy  wife  shall  have  a  son." 

And  Sarah  heard  it  in  the  tent  door,  which  was 
behind  him.  Now  Abraham  and  Sarah  were  old 
and  well  stricken  in  age;  therefore  Sarah  laughed 
within  herself. 

And  the  Lord  said  unto  Abraham,  "Wherefore 
did  Sarah  laugh,  saying,  'Shall  I  of  a  surety  bear 
a  child,  which  am  old.'^'  Is  anything  too  hard  for 
the  Lord.'*  At  the  time  appointed  I  will  return 
unto  thee,  and  Sarah  shall  have  a  son." 

Then  Sarah  denied,  saying,  "I  laughed  not;" 
for  she  was  afraid. 

And  he  said,  "Nay,  but  thou  didst  laugh." 

Genesis,  18 

THE  CURSE  OF  SODOM  AND 
GOJNIORRAH 

And  the  men  rose  up  from  thence,  and  looked 
toward  Sodom :  and  Abraham  went  with  them  to 
bring  them  on  the  way. 

And  the  Lord  said,  "Shall  I  hide  from  Abra- 


40  BIBLE  STORIES 

ham  that  thing  which  I  do;  Seeing  that  Abraham 
shall  surely  become  a  great  and  mighty  nation, 
and  all  the  nations  of  the  earth,  shall  be  blessed 
in  him.  For  I  know  him,  that  he  will  command 
his  children  and  his  household  after  him,  and  they 
shall  keep  the  way  of  the  Lord,  to  do  justice  and 
judgment;  that  the  Lord  may  bring  upon  Abra- 
ham that  which  he  hath  spoken  of  him." 

And  the  Lord  said,  "Because  the  cry  of  Sodom 
and  Gomorrah  is  great,  and  because  their  sin  is 
very  grievous;  I  will  go  down  now,  and  see 
whether  they  have  done  altogether  according  to 
the  cry  of  it,  which  is  come  unto  me;  and  if  not, 
I  will  know." 

And  the  men  turned  their  faces  from  thence, 
and  went  toward  Sodom:  but  Abraham  stood  yet 
before  the  Lord. 

And  Abraham  drew  near,  and  said,  "Wilt  thou 
also  destroy  the  righteous  with  the  wicked.''  Per- 
adventure  there  be  fifty  righteous  within  the  city : 
wilt  thou  also  destroy  and  not  spare  the  place 
for  the  fifty  righteous  that  are  therein?  That  be 
far  from  thee  to  do  after  this  manner,  to  slay  the 
righteous  with  the  wicked:  and  that  the  righteous 
should  be  as  the  wicked,  that  be  far  from  thee. 
Shall  not  the  Judge  of  all  the  earth  do  right.'^" 

And  the  Lord  said,  "If  I  find  in  Sodom  fifty 
righteous  within  the  city,  then  I  will  spare  all  the 
place  for  their  sakcs." 


SODOM  AND   GOMORRAH  41 

And  Abraham  answered  and  said,  "Behold  now, 
I  have  taken  upon  me  to  speak  unto  the  Lord, 
which  am  but  dust  and  ashes.  Peradventure  there 
shall  lack  five  of  the  fifty  righteous :  wilt  thou  de- 
stroy all  the  city  for  lack  of  five?"  x\nd  he  said, 
"If  I  find  there  forty  and  five,  I  will  not  destroy 
it?" 

And  he  spake  unto  him  yet  again,  and  said, 
"Peradventure  there  shall  be  forty  found  there." 
And  he  said,  "I  will  not  do  it  for  forty's  sake." 

And  he  said  unto  him,  "Oh  let  not  the  Lord  be 
angry,  and  I  will  speak.  Peradventure  there  shall 
thirty  be  found  there."  And  he  said,  "I  will  not 
do  it,  if  I  find  thirty  there." 

And  he  said,  "Behold  now,  I  have  taken  upon 
me  to  speak  unto  the  Lord.  Peradventure  there 
shall  be  twenty  found  there."  And  he  said,  "I 
will  not  destroy  it  for  twenty's  sake." 

And  he  said,  "Oh  let  not  the  Lord  be  angry, 
and  I  will  speak  yet  but  this  once.  Peradventure 
ten  shall  be  found  there."  And  he  said,  "I  will 
not  destroy  it  for  ten's  sake." 

And  the  Lord  went  his  way,  as  soon  as  he  had 
left  comnuming  with  Abraham:  and  Abraham  re- 
turned unto  his  place. 

Genesis,  18 


42  BIBLE  STORIES 

WHY  LOT'S   WIFE   BECAME  A  PILLAR 
OF  SALT 

And  the  two  angels  came  to  Sodom  at  even;  and 
Lot  sat  in  the  gate  of  Sodom.  And  Lot  seeing 
them  rose  up  to  meet  them;  and  he  bowed  him- 
self with  his  face  toward  the  ground. 

And  he  said,  "Behold  now,  my  lords,  turn  in,  I 
pray  you,  into  your  servant's  house,  and  tarry  all 
night,  and  wash  your  feet,  and  ye  shall  rise  up 
early,  and  go  on  your  ways." 

And  they  said,  "Nay;  but  we  will  abide  in  the 
street  all  night." 

And  he  pressed  upon  them  greatly;  and  they 
turned  in  unto  him,  and  entered  into  his  house; 
and  he  made  them  a  feast,  and  did  bake  unleav- 
ened bread,  and  they  did  eat. 

And  the  men  said  unto  Lot,  "Hast  thou  here 
any  besides?  son  in  law,  and  thy  sons,  and  thy 
daughters,  and  whatsoever  thou  hast  in  the  city, 
bring  them  out  of  this  place.  For  we  will  destroy 
this  place,  because  the  cry  of  them  is  waxen  great 
before  the  face  of  the  Lord;  and  the  Lord  hath 
sent  us  to  destroy  it." 

And  Lot  went  out,  and  spake  unto  his  sons  in 
law,  which  married  his  daughters,  and  said,  "Up, 
get  you  out  of  this  place;  for  the  Lord  will  destroy 
this  city."  But  he  seemed  as  one  that  mocked 
unto  his  sons  in  law. 


THE   STORY  OF  LOT'S   WIFE        43 

And  when  the  morning  arose,  then  the  angels 
hastened  Lot,  saying,  "Arise,  take  thy  wife,  and 
thy  two  daughters,  which  are  here;  lest  thou  be 
consumed  in  the  iniquity  of  the  city." 

And  while  he  lingered,  the  men  laid  hold  upon 
his  hand,  and  upon  the  hand  of  his  wife,  and  upon 
the  hand  of  his  two  daughters;  the  Lord  being 
merciful  unto  him.  And  they  brought  him  forth, 
and  set  him  without  the  city. 

And  it  came  to  pass,  when  they  had  brought 
them  forth  abroad,  that  he  said,  "Escape  for  thy 
life;  look  not  behind  thee,  neither  stay  thou  in  all 
the  plain;  escape  to  the  mountain,  lest  thou  be 
consumed." 

And  Lot  said  unto  them,  "Oh,  not  so,  my 
Lord.  Behold  now,  thy  servant  hath  found  grace 
in  thy  sight,  and  thou  hast  magnified  thy  mercy, 
which  thou  hast  shewed  unto  me  in  saving  my 
life;  and  I  cannot  escape  to  the  mountain,  Itst 
some  evil  take  me,  and  I  die.  Behold  now,  this 
city  is  near  to  flee  unto,  and  it  is  a  little  one.  Oh, 
let  me  escape  thither,  (is  it  not  a  little  one.^^)  and 
my  soul  shall  live." 

And  he  said  unto  him,  "See,  I  have  accepted 
thee  concerning  this  thing  also,  that  I  will  not 
overthrow  this  city,  for  the  which  thou  hast 
spoken.  Haste  thee,  escape  thither;  for  I  cannot 
do  anything  till  thou  be  come  thither."  There- 
fore the  name  of  the  city  wis  called  Zoar. 


44  BIBLE  STORIES 

The  sun  was  risen  upon  the  earth  when  Lot 
entered  into  Zoar, 

Then  the  Lord  rained  upon  Sodom  and  upon 
Gomorrah  brimstone  and  fire  from  the  Lord  out 
of  heaven.  And  he  overthrew  those  cities,  and  all 
the  plain,  and  all  the  inhabitants  of  the  cities,  and 
that  which  grew  upon  the  ground. 

But  his  wife  looked  back  from  behind  him,  and 
she  became  a  pillar  of  salt. 

And  Abraham  gat  up  early  in  the  morning  to 
the  place  where  he  stood  before  the  Lord.  And 
he  looked  toward  Sodom  and  Gomorrah,  and 
toward  all  the  land  of  the  plain,  and  beheld,  and, 
lo,  the  smoke  of  the  country  went  up  as  the  smoke 
of  a  furnace. 

And  it  came  to  pass,  when  God  destroyed  the 
cities  of  the  plain,  that  God  remembered  Abra- 
ham, and  sent  Lot  out  of  the  midst  of  the  over- 
throw, when  he  overthrew  the  cities  in  the  which 
Lot  dwelt. 

Genesis,  19 

GOD  WILL  PROVIDE  HIMSELF  A  LAMB 

And  the  Lord  visited  Sarah  as  he  had  said,  and 
the  Lord  did  unto  Sarah  as  he  had  spoken.  For 
Sarah  bare  Abraham  a  son  in  his  old  age,  at  the 
set  time  of  which  God  had  spoken  to  him. 
And  Abraham  called  the  name  of  his  son  that 


GOD   WILL  PROVIDE   A   LAMB      45 

was  born  unto  him,  whom  Sarah  bare  to  him, 
Isaac  (Laughter).   And  the  child  grew. 

And  it  came  to  pass  after  these  things,  that  God 
did  prove  Abraham,  and  said  unto  him,  "Abra- 
ham:" and  he  said,  "Behold,  here  I  am."  And  he 
said,  "Take  now  thy  son,  thine  only  son  Isaac, 
whom  thou  lovest,  and  get  thee  into  the  land  of 
Moriah;  and  offer  him  there  for  a  burnt  offering 
upon  one  of  the  mountains  which  I  will  tell  thee 
of." 

And  Abraham  rose  up  early  in  the  morning, 
and  saddled  his  ass,  and  took  two  of  his  young 
men  with  him,  and  Isaac  his  son,  and  clave 
the  wood  for  the  burnt  offering,  and  rose  up, 
and  went  unto  the  place  of  which  God  had  told 
him. 

Then  on  the  third  day  Abraham  lifted  up  his 
eyes,  and  saw  the  place  afar  off.  And  Abraham 
said  unto  his  young  men,  "  Abide  ye  here  with  the 
ass;  and  I  and  the  lad  will  go  yonder  and  worship, 
and  come  again  to  you." 

And  Abraham  took  the  wood  of  the  burnt 
offering,  and  laid  it  upon  Isaac  his  son;  and  he 
took  the  fire  in  his  hand,  and  a  knife;  and  they 
went  both  of  them  together. 

And  Isaac  spake  unto  Abraham  his  father,  and 
said,  "My  father:  "  and  he  said,  "Here  am  I,  m\ 
son."  And  he  said, "  Behold  the  fire  and  the  wood 
but  where  is  the  lamb  for  a  burnt  offering?  "  And 


46  BIBLE   STORIES 

Abraham  said,  "  My  son,  God  will  provide  him- 
self a  lamb  for  a  burnt  offering:"  so  they  went 
both  of  them  together. 

And  they  came  to  the  place  which  God  had 
told  him  of;  and  Abraham  built  an  altar  there, 
and  laid  the  wood  in  order,  and  bound  Isaac  his 
son,  and  laid  him  on  the  altar  upon  the  wood.  And 
Abraham  stretched  forth  his  hand,  and  took  the 
knife  to  slay  his  son. 

And  the  angel  of  the  Lord  called  unto  him  out 
of  heaven,  and  said,  "Abraham,  Abraham:"  and 
he  said,  "Here  am  I." 

And  he  said,  "Lay  not  thine  hand  upon  the 
lad,  neither  do  thou  anything  unto  him:  for  now 
I  know  that  thou  fearest  God,  seeing  thou  hast  not 
withheld  thy  son,  thine  only  son  from  me." 

And  Abraham  lifted  up  his  eyes,  and  looked, 
and  behold  behind  him  a  ram  caught  in  a  thicket 
by  his  horns.  And  Abraham  went  and  took  the 
ram,  and  offered  him  up  for  a  burnt  offering  in 
the  stead  of  his  son. 

And  Abraham  called  the  name  of  that  place 
Jehovah -jireh  (that  is  Jehovah  will  see,  or  pro- 
vide) :  as  it  is  said  to  this  day,  "  In  the  mount  of 
the  Lord  it  shall  be  seen." 

And  the  angel  of  the  Lord  called  unto  Abraham 
out  of  heaven  the  second  time,  and  said,  "By 
myself  have  I  sworn,  saith  the  Lord,  for  because 
thou  hast  done  this  thing,  and  hast  not  with- 


THE   SEARCH   FOR  ISAAC'S  BRIDE    47 

held  thy  son,  thine  only  son:  that  in  blessin^?  I 
will  bless  thee,  and  in  multiplying  I  will  multiply 
thy  seed  as  the  stars  of  the  heaven,  and  as  the 
sand  which  is  upon  the  sea  shore;  and  thy  seed 
shall  possess  the  gate  of  his  enemies,  and  in  thy 
seed  shall  all  the  nations  of  the  earth  be  blessed; 
because  thou  hast  obeyed  my  voice." 

So  Abraham  returned  unto  his  young  men,  and 
they  rose  up  and  went  together  to  Beer-sheba; 
and  Abraham  dwelt  at  Beer-sheba. 

Genesis,  21,  22 

Read  "  The  Little  Ishmael  Who  Became  an  Archer,"  Genesis, 
chap.  16;  and  chap.  21,  verses  9-20.  Read  also  "How  Abra- 
ham Bought  the  Cave  of  Machpelah,"  chap.  23 

THE  SEARCH  FOR  ISAAC'S  BRIDE 

And  Abraham  was  old,  and  well  stricken  in 
age:  and  the  Lord  had  blessed  Abraham  in  all 
things. 

And  Abraham  said  unto  his  eldest  servant  of 
his  house,  that  ruled  over  all  that  he  had,  "Put,  I 
pray  thee,  thy  hand  under  my  thigh.  And  I  will 
make  thee  swear  by  the  Lord,  the  God  of  heaven, 
and  the  God  of  the  earth,  that  thou  shalt  not 
take  a  wife  unto  my  son  of  the  daughters  of  the 
Canaanites,  among  whom  I  dwell.  But  thou 
shalt  go  unto  my  country,  and  to  my  kindred,  and 
take  a  wife  unto  mv  son  Isaac." 


48  BIBLE   STORIES 

And  the  servant  said  unto  him,  "  Perad venture 
the  woman  will  not  be  willing  to  follow  me  unto 
this  land.  Must  I  needs  bring  thy  son  again  unto 
the  land  from  whence  thou  camest?" 

And  Abraham  said  unto  him,  "Beware  thou 
that  thou  bring  not  my  son  thither  again. 

"The  Lord  God  of  heaven,  which  took  me  from 
my  father's  house,  and  from  the  land  of  my  kin- 
dred, and  which  spake  unto  me,  and  that  sware 
unto  me,  saying,  'Unto  thy  seed  will  I  give  this 
land,'  he  shall  send  his  angel  before  thee,  and  thou 
shalt  take  a  wife  unto  my  son  from  thence.  And 
if  the  woman  will  not  be  willing  to  follow  thee, 
then  thou  shalt  be  clear  from  this  my  oath.  Only 
bring  not  my  son  thither  again." 

And  the  servant  put  his  hand  under  the  thigh 
of  Abraham  his  master,  and  sware  to  him  concern- 
ing that  matter. 

And  the  servant  took  ten  camels  of  the  camels 
of  his  master,  and  departed;  for  all  the  goods  of 
his  master  were  in  his  hand.  And  he  arose,  and 
went  to  Mesopotamia,  unto  the  city  of  Nahor. 
And  he  made  his  camels  to  kneel  down  without 
the  city  by  a  well  of  water  at  the  time  of  the  eve- 
ning, even  the  time  that  women  go  out  to  draw 
v/ater. 

And  he  said,  "O  Lord  God  of  my  master 
Abraham,  I  pray  thee,  send  me  good  speed  this 
day,  and  shew  kindness  unto  my  master  Abra- 


THE   SEARCH   FOR  ISAAC'S  BRIDE    49 

ham.  Behold,  I  stand  here  by  the  well  of  water; 
and  the  daughters  of  the  men  of  the  city  come 
out  to  draw  water.  And  let  it  come  to  pass,  that 
the  damsel  to  whom  I  shall  say,  'Let  down  thy 
pitcher,  I  pray  thee,  that  I  may  drink;'  and  she 
shall  say,  'Drink,  and  I  will  give  thy  camels  drink 
also : '  let  the  same  be  she  that  thou  has  appointed 
for  thy  servant  Isaac;  and  thereby  shall  I  know 
that  thou  hast  shewed  kindness  unto  my  master." 

And  it  came  to  pass,  before  he  had  done  speak- 
ing, that,  behold,  Rebekah  came  out,  who  was 
born  to  Bethuel,  son  of  Milcah,  the  wife  of  Nahor, 
Abraham's  brother,  with  her  pitcher  upon  her 
shoulder.  And  the  damsel  was  very  fair  to  look 
upon,  and  she  went  down  to  the  well,  and  filled 
her  pitcher,  and  came  up. 

And  the  servant  ran  to  meet  her,  and  said, 
"Let  me,  I  pray  thee,  drink  a  little  water  of  thy 
pitcher." 

And  she  said,"  Drink,  my  lord."  And  she  hasted, 
and  let  down  her  pitcher  upon  her  hand,  and  gave 
him  drink.  And  when  she  had  done  giving  him 
drink,  she  said,  "I  will  draw  water  for  thj'  camels 
also,  until  they  have  done  drinking." 

And  she  hasted,  and  emptied  her  pitcher  into 
the  trough,  and  ran  again  unto  the  well  to  draw 
water,  and  drew  for  all  his  camels.  And  the  man 
wondering  at  her  held  his  peace,  to  wit  whether 
the  Lord  had  made  his  journey  prosperous  or  not. 


50  BIBLE  STORIES 

And  it  came  to  pass,  as  the  camels  had  done 
drinking,  that  the  man  took  a  golden  earring  of 
half  a  shekel  weight,  and  two  bracelets  for  her 
hands  of  ten  shekels  weight  of  gold,  and  said, 
"Whose  daughter  art  thou?  tell  me,  I  pray  thee. 
Is  there  room  in  thy  father's  house  for  us  to 
lodge  in?" 

And  she  said  unto  him,  *'I  am  the  daughter  of 
Bethuel,  the  son  of  Milcah,  which  she  bare  unto 
Nahor."  She  said  moreover  unto  him,  "We  have 
both  straw  and  provender  enough,  and  room  to 
lodge  in." 

And  the  man  bowed  down  his  head,  and  wor- 
shipped the  Lord.  And  he  said,  "Blessed  be  the 
Lord  God  of  my  master  Abraham,  who  hath  not 
left  destitute  my  master  of  his  mercy  and  his  truth. 
I  being  in  the  way,  the  Lord  led  me  to  the  house 
of  my  master's  brethren." 

And  the  damsel  ran,  and  told  them  of  her 
mother's  house  these  things. 

And  Rebekah  had  a  brother,  and  his  name  was 
Laban.  And  Laban  ran  out  unto  the  man,  unto 
the  well.  And  it  came  to  pass,  when  he  saw  the 
earring  and  bracelets  upon  his  sister's  hands,  and 
when  he  heard  the  words  of  Rebekah  his  sister, 
saying,  "  Thus  spake  the  man  unto  me;"  that  he 
came  unto  the  man;  and,  behold,  he  stood  by  the 
camels  at  the  well.  And  he  said,  "  Come  in,  thou 
blessed  of  the  Lord.    Wherefore  standest  thou 


THE   SEARCH   FOR  ISAAC'S  BRIDE     51 

without?  for  I  have  prepared  the  house,  and  room 
for  the  camels." 

And  the  man  came  into  the  house:  and  he  un- 
girded  his  camels,  and  gave  straw  and  provender 
for  the  camels,  and  water  to  wash  his  feet,  and 
the  men's  feet  that  were  with  him.  And  there  was 
set  meat  before  him  to  eat:  but  he  said,  "I  will 
not  eat,  until  I  have  told  mine  errand."  And  he 
said,  "Speak  on." 

And  he  said,  "  I  am  Abraham's  servant.  And 
the  Lord  hath  blessed  my  master  greatly ;  and  he 
is  become  great:  and  he  hath  given  him  flocks, 
and  herds,  and  silver,  and  gold,  and  menservants, 
and  maidservants,  and  camels,  and  asses. 

"And  Sarah  my  master's  wife  bare  a  son  to  my 
master  when  she  was  old.  And  unto  him  hath  he 
given  all  that  he  hath.  And  my  master  made  me 
swear,  saying,  'Thou  shalt  not  take  a  wife  to  my 
son  of  the  daughters  of  the  Canaanites,  in  whose 
land  I  dwell.  But  thou  shalt  go  unto  my  father's 
house,  and  to  my  kindred,  and  take  a  wife  unto 
my  son.' 

"And  I  said  unto  my  master, '  Peradventure  the 
woman  will  not  follow  me.'  And  he  said  unto  me, 
'The  Lord,  before  whom  I  walk,  will  send  his 
angel  with  thee,  and  prosper  thy  way;  and  thou 
shalt  take  a  wife  for  my  son  of  my  kindred,  and  of 
my  father's  house.  Then  shalt  thou  be  clear  from 
this  my  oath,  when  thou  comes t  to  my  kindred; 


52  BIBLE   STORIES 

and  if  they  give  not  thee  one,  thou  shalt  be  clear 
from  my  oath.' 

"And  I  came  this  day  unto  the  well,  and  said, 
*0  Lord  God  of  my  master  Abraham,  if  now  thou 
do  prosper  my  way  which  I  go:  behold,  I  stand 
by  the  well  of  water;  and  it  shall  come  to  pass, 
that  when  the  virgin  cometh  forth  to  draw  water, 
and  I  say  to  her,  "Give  me,  I  pray  thee,  a  little 
water  of  thy  pitcher  to  drink: "  and  she  say  to  me, 
*'Both  drink  thou,  and  I  will  also  draw  for  thy 
camels:"  let  the  same  be  the  woman  whom  the 
Lord  hath  appointed  out  for  my  master's  son.' 

"And  before  I  had  done  speaking  in  mine  heart, 
behold,  Rebekah  came  forth  with  her  pitcher  on 
her  shoulder;  and  she  went  down  unto  the  well, 
and  drew  water:  and  I  said,  unto  her,  'Let  me 
drink,  I  pray  thee.'  And  she  made  haste,  and  let 
down  her  pitcher  from  her  shoulder,  and  said, 
'Drink,  and  I  will  give  thy  camels  drink  also.' 
So  I  drank,  and  she  made  the  camels  drink  also. 

"And  I  asked  her,  and  said,  'Whose  daughter 
art  thou.'^'  And  she  said,  'The  daughter  of 
Bethuel,  Kahor's  son,  whom  Milcah  bare  unto 
him.'  And  I  put  the  earring  upon  her  face,  and 
the  bracelets  upon  her  hands. 

"And  I  bowed  down  my  head,  and  worshipped 
the  Lord,  and  blessed  the  Lord  God  of  my  master 
Abraham,  which  had  led  me  in  tlie  right  way  to 
take  my  master's  brother's  daughter  unto  his  son. 


THE   SEARCH  FOR   ISAAC'S  BRIDE    53 

"And  now  if  ye  will  deal  kindly  and  truly 
with  my  master,  tell  me:  and  if  not,  tell  me; 
that  I  may  turn  to  the  right  hand,  or  to  the 
left." 

Then  Laban  and  Bethuel  answered  and  said, 
"The  thing  proceedeth  from  the  Lord.  We  can- 
not speak  unto  thee  bad  or  good.  Behold,  Re- 
bekah  is  before  thee,  take  her,  and  go,  and  let 
her  be  thy  master's  son's  wife,  as  the  Lord  hath 
spoken." 

And  it  came  to  pass,  that,  when  Abraham's 
servant  heard  their  words,  he  worshipped  the 
Lord,  bowing  himself  to  the  earth. 

And  the  servant  brought  forth  jewels  of  silver, 
and  jewels  of  gold,  and  raiment,  and  gave  them 
to  Rebekah.  He  gave  also  to  her  brother  and  to 
her  mother  precious  things.  And  they  did  c^at  and 
drink,  he  and  the  men  that  were  with  him,  and 
tarried  all  night. 

And  they  rose  up  in  the  morning,  and  he  said, 
"Send  me  away  unto  my  master." 

And  her  brother  and  her  mother  said,  "Let  the 
damsel  abide  with  us  a  few  days,  at  the  least  ten; 
after  that  she  shall  go." 

And  he  said  unto  them,  "Hinder  me  not,  seeing 
the  Lord  hath  prospered  my  way;  send  me  away 
that  I  may  go  to  my  mast(T." 

iVnd  they  said,  "We  will  call  the  damsel,  and 
inquire  at  her  mouth."  And  they  called  Rebekah, 


54  BIBLE   STORIES 

and  said  unto  her,  "Wilt  thou  go  with  this  man?'* 
And  she  said,  "I  will  go." 

And  they  sent  away  Rebekah  their  sister,  and 
her  nurse,  and  Abraham's  servant,  and  his  men. 
And  they  blessed  Rebekah,  and  said  unto  her, 
*'Thou  art  our  sister,  be  thou  the  mother  of  thou- 
sands of  millions,  and  let  thy  seed  possess  the  gate 
of  those  which  hate  them." 

And  Rebekah  arose,  and  her  damsels,  and  they 
rode  upon  the  camels,  and  followed  the  man.  And 
the  servant  took  Rebekah,  and  went  his  way. 

And  Isaac  came  from  the  way  of  the  well 
Lahai-roi;  for  he  dwelt  in  the  south  country. 
And  Isaac  went  out  to  meditate  in  the  field  at 
the  eventide.  And  he  lifted  up  his  eyes,  and 
saw,  and,  behold,  the  camels  were  coming. 

And  Rebekah  lifted  up  her  eyes,  and  when  she 
saw  Isaac,  she  lighted  off  the  camel.  For  she  had 
said  unto  the  servant,  "What  man  is  this  that 
walketh  in  the  field  to  meet  us.'^ "  And  the  servant 
had  said,  "It  is  my  master."  Therefore  she  took 
a  vail,  and  covered  herself. 

And  the  servant  told  Isaac  all  things  that  he 
had  done.  And  Isaac  brought  her  into  his  mother 
Sarah's  tent,  and  took  Rebekah,  and  she  became 
his  wife;  and  he  loved  her.  And  Isaac  was  com- 
forted after  his  mother's  death. 

Genesis,  24 


^ocdI)  an  J  Bait  .iaofs  5on5 


He  hath  said,  which  heard  the  irord.i  of  God,  and  knew  the 
knowledge  of  the  Most  High,  which  saiv  the  vision  of  the  Al- 
mighty, falling  into  a  trance,  but  having  his  eyes  open: 

"/  shall  see  him,  hut  not  noir:  I  shall  behold  him,  but  not 
nigh:  there  shall  come  a  Star  out  of  Jacob,  and  a  Sceptre  shall 
rise  out  of  Israel,  and  shall  smite  the  corners  of  Moab,  and 
destroy  all  the  children  of  Sheth." 

Numbers,  24 


HOW  ESAU  THE  ELDER  BROTHER 
DESPISED    HIS   BIRTHRIGHT 

ND  the  boys  grew.  And  Esau  was  a  cun- 
ning hunter,  a  man  of  the  field;  and 
Jacob  was  a  plain  man,  dwelling  in 
tents.  And  Isaac  loved  Esau,  because  he  did 
eat  of  his  venison:  but  Rebekah  loved  Jacob. 
And  Jacob  sod  pottage.  And  Esau  came 
from  the  field,  and  he  was  faint.  And  Esau  said  to 
Jacob,  "Feed  me,  I  pray  thee,  with  that  same  red 
pottage;  for  I  am  faint:  "  therefore  was  his  name 
called  Edom  (meaning  Red). 

And  Jacob  said,  "Sell  me  this  day  thy  birth- 
right." 

And  Esau  said,  "Behold,  I  am  at  the  point 
to  die:  and  what  profit  shall  this  birthright  do 
to  me?  " 

And  Jacob  said,  "Swear  to  me  this  day;"  and 
he  sware  unto  him :  and  he  sold  his  birthright  unto 
Jacob. 

Then  Jacob  gave  Esau  bread  and  pottage  of 
lentiles;  and  he  did  eat  and  drink,  and  rose  up, 
and  went  his  way:  thus  Esau  despised  his  birth- 
right. 

And  Esau  was  forty  years  old  wlu^n  he  took  to 
wife  Judith  the  daughter  of  Bceri  the  Ilittite,  and 


58  BIBLE  STORIES 

Bashemath  the  daughter  of  Elon  the  Hittite: 
which  were  a  grief  of  mind  unto  Isaac  and  to 
Rebekah.  Genesis,  25,  26 

THE   STOLEN  BLESSING 

And  it  came  to  pass,  that  when  Isaac  was  old, 
and  his  eyes  were  dim,  so  that  he  could  not  see,  he 
called  Esau  his  eldest  son,  and  said  unto  him,  "]My 
son:  "  and  he  said  unto  him,  "Behold,  here  am  I.'* 

And  he  said,  "Behold  now,  I  am  old,  I  know 
not  the  day  of  my  death.  Now  therefore  take,  I 
pray  thee,  thy  weapons,  thy  quiver  and  thy  bow, 
and  go  out  to  the  field,  and  take  me  some  venison. 
And  make  me  savoury  meat,  such  as  I  love,  and 
bring  it  to  me,  that  I  may  eat;  that  my  soul  may 
bless  thee  before  I  die." 

And  Rebekah  heard  when  Isaac  spake  to  Esau 
his  son.  And  Esau  went  to  the  field  to  hunt  for 
venison,  and  to  bring  it. 

And  Rebekah  spake  unto  Jacob  her  son,  saying, 
"Behold,  I  heard  thy  father  speak  unto  Esau  thy 
brother,  saying,  '  Bring  me  venison,  and  make  me 
savoury  meat,  that  I  may  eat,  and  bless  thee  be- 
fore the  Lord  before  my  death.'  Now  therefore, 
my  son,  obey  my  voice  according  to  that  which  I 
command  thee.  Go  now  to  the  flock,  and  fetch 
me  from  thence  two  good  kids  of  the  goats;  and  I 
will  make  them  savoury  meat  for  thy  father,  such 


THE  STOLEN  BLESSING  59 

as  he  loveth.  And  thou  shalt  bring  it  to  thy  father, 
that  he  may  eat,  and  that  he  may  bless  thee  be- 
fore his  death." 

And  Jacob  said  to  Rebekah  his  mother,  "  Be- 
hold, Esau  my  brother  is  a  hairy  man,  and  I  am 
a  smooth  man.  My  father  peradventure  will  feel 
me,  and  I  shall  seem  to  him  as  a  deceiver;  and  I 
shall  bring  a  curse  upon  me,  and  not  a  blessing." 

And  his  mother  said  unto  him,  "  Upon  me  be 
thy  curse,  my  son.  Only  obey  my  voice,  and  go 
fetch  me  them." 

And  he  went,  and  fetched,  and  brought  them  to 
his  mother.  And  his  mother  made  savoury  meat, 
such  as  his  father  loved. 

And  Rebekah  took  goodly  raiment  of  her  eldest 
son  Esau,  which  were  with  her  in  the  house,  and 
put  them  upon  Jacob  her  younger  son.  And  she 
put  the  skins  of  the  kids  of  the  goats  upon  his 
hands,  and  upon  the  smooth  of  his  neck.  And  she 
gave  the  savoury  meat  and  the  bread,  which  she 
had  prepared,  into  the  hand  of  her  son  Jacob. 

And  he  came  unto  his  father,  and  said,  "My 
father:"  and  he  said,  "Here  am  I;  who  art  thou, 
my  son.'' 

And  Jacob  said  unto  his  father,  *'I  am  Esau  thy 
firstborn.  I  have  done  according  as  thou  badest 
me.  Arise,  I  pray  thee,  sit  and  eat  of  my  venison, 
that  thy  soul  may  bless  me." 

And  Isaac  said  unto  his  son,  "How  is  it  that 


CO  BIBLE   STORIES 

thou  hast  found  it  so  quickly,  my  son?"  And  he 
said,  "Because  the  Lord  thy  God  brought  it  to 
me." 

And  Isaac  said  unto  Jacob,  "Come  near,  I 
pray  thee,  that  I  maj'-  feel  thee,  my  son,  whether 
thou  be  my  very  son  Esau  or  not."  And  Jacob 
went  near  unto  Isaac  his  fiither;  and  he  felt  him, 
and  said,  "The  voice  is  Jacob's  voice,  but  the 
hands  are  the  hands  of  Esau."  And  he  discerned 
him  not,  because  his  hands  were  hairy,  as  his 
brother  Esau's  hands:  so  he  blessed  him. 

And  he  said,  "Art  thou  my  very  son  Esau.^*" 
And  he  said,  "I  am."  And  he  said,  "Bring  it  near 
to  me,  and  I  will  eat  of  my  son's  venison,  that  my 
soul  may  bless  thee."  And  he  brought  it  near  to 
him,  and  he  did  eat.  And  he  brought  him  wine, 
and  he  drank. 

And  his  father  Isaac  said  unto  him,  "Come 
near  now,  and  kiss  me,  my  son."  And  he  came 
near,  and  kissed  him :  and  he  smelled  the  smell  of 
his  raiment,  and  blessed  him,  and  said,  "See,  the 
smell  of  my  son  is  as  the  smell  of  a  field  which  the 
Lord  hath  blessed.  Therefore  God  give  thee  of 
the  dew  of  heaven,  and  the  fatness  of  the  earth, 
and  plenty  of  corn  and  wine.  Let  people  serve 
thee,  and  nations  bow  down  to  thee.  Be  lord  over 
thy  brethren,  and  let  thy  mother's  sons  bow  down 
to  thee.  Cursed  be  every  one  that  curseth  thee, 
and  blessed  be  he  that  blesseth  thee." 


THE   STOLEN  BLESSING  61 

And  it  came  to  pass,  as  soon  as  Isaac  had  made 
an  end  of  blessing  Jacob,  and  Jacob  was  yet  scarce 
gone  out  from  the  presence  of  Isaac  his  father,  that 
Esau  his  brother  ca:ne  in  from  his  hunting.  And 
he  also  had  made  savoury  meat,  and  brought  it 
unto  his  father,  and  said  unto  his  father,  "Let  my 
father  arise,  and  eat  of  his  son's  venison,  that  thy 
soul  may  bless  me." 

And  Isaac  his  father  said  unto  him,  "Who  art 
thou.'^"  And  he  said,  "I  am  thy  son,  thy  firstborn 
Esau." 

And  Isaac  trembled  very  exceedingly,  and  said, 
"Who.'  where  is  he  that  hath  taken  venison,  and 
brought  it  me,  and  I  have  eaten  of  all  before  thou 
camest,  and  have  blessed  him.'^  yea,  and  he  shall 
be  blessed." 

And  when  Esau  heard  the  words  of  his  father, 
he  cried  with  a  great  and  exceeding  bitter  cry, 
and  said  unto  his  father,  "Bless  me,  even  me  also, 
O  my  father." 

And  he  said,  "Thy  brother  came  with  subtilty, 
and  hath  taken  away  thy  blessing." 

And  he  said,  "Is  not  he  rightly  named  Jacob 
(one  that  supplants)?  for  he  hath  supplanted  me 
these  two  times.  He  took  away  my  birthright; 
and,  behold,  now  he  hath  taken  away  my  bless- 
ing." And  he  said,  "  Hast  thou  not  reserved  a 
blessing  for  me.'^" 
^    And  Isaac  answered  and  said  unto  Esau,  "Be- 


62  BIBLE   STORIES 

hold,  I  have  made  him  thy  lord,  and  all  his  breth- 
ren have  I  given  to  him  for  servants;  and  with 
corn  and  wine  have  I  sustained  him.  And  what 
shall  I  do  now  unto  thee,  my  son?" 

And  Esau  said  unto  his  father,  "Hast  thou  but 
one  blessing,  my  father?  bless  me,  even  me  also, 
O  my  father."  And  Esau  lifted  up  his  voice,  and 
wept. 

And  Isaac  his  father  answered  and  said  unto 
him,  "  Behold,  thy  dwelling  shall  be  the  fatness  of 
the  earth,  and  of  the  dew  of  heaven  from  above. 
And  by  thy  sword  shalt  thou  live,  and  shalt  serve 
thy  brother.  And  it  shall  come  to  pass  when  thou 
shalt  have  the  dominion,  that  thou  shalt  break  his 
yoke  from  off  thy  neck." 

And  Esau  hated  Jacob  because  of  the  blessing 
wherewith  his  father  blessed  him.  And  Esau 
said  in  his  heart,  "The  days  of  mourning  for  my 
father  are  at  hand;  then  will  I  slay  my  brother 
Jacob." 

And  these  words  of  Esau  her  elder  son  were  told 
to  Rebekah.  And  she  sent  and  called  Jacob  her 
younger  son,  and  said  unto  him,  "Behold,  thy 
brother  Esau,  as  touching  thee,  doth  comfort  him- 
self, purposing  to  kill  thee.  Now  therefore,  my 
son,  obey  my  voice;  and  arise,  flee  thou  to  Laban 
my  brother  to  Ilaran,  and  tarry  with  him  a  few 
days,  until  thy  brother's  fury  turn  away;  until 
thy  brother's  anger  turn  away  from  thee,  and  he 


THE  VISION  OF  JACOB'S   LADDER     63 

forget  that  which  thou  hast  done  to  him.  Then 
I  will  send,  and  fetch  thee  from  thence.  Why 
should  I  be  deprived  also  of  you  both  in  one 
day?" 

Genesis,  27 

THE   VISION  OF  JACOB'S  LADDER 

And  Jacob  went  out  from  Beer-sheba,  and  went 
toward  Haran.  And  he  lighted  upon  a  certain 
place,  and  tarried  there  all  night,  because  the  sun 
was  set.  And  he  took  of  the  stones  of  that  place, 
and  put  them  for  his  pillows,  and  lay  down  in  that 
place  to  sleep. 

And  he  dreamed,  and  behold  a  ladder  set  up  on 
the  earth,  and  the  top  of  it  reached  to  heaven: 
and  behold  the  angels  of  God  ascending  and  de- 
scending on  it. 

And,  behold,  the  Lord  stood  above  it,  and  said, 
"I  am  the  Lord  God  of  Abraham  thy  father,  and 
the  God  of  Isaac:  the  land  whereon  thou  liest,  to 
thee  will  I  give  it,  and  to  thy  seed.  And  thy  seed 
shall  be  as  the  dust  of  the  earth,  and  thou  shalt 
spread  abroad  to  the  west,  and  to  the  east,  and  to 
the  north,  and  to  the  south:  and  in  thee  and  in 
thy  seed  shall  all  the  families  of  the  earth  he 
blessed.  And,  behold,  I  am  with  thee,  and  will 
keep  thee  in  all  places  whither  thou  goest,  and 
will  bring  thee  again  into  this  land;  for  I  will 


64  BIBLE  STORIES 

not  leave  tliee,  until  I  have  done  that  which  I 
have  spoken  to  thee  of." 

And  Jacob  awaked  out  of  his  sleep,  and  he  said, 
"Surely  the  Lord  is  in  this  place;  and  I  knew  it 
not."  And  he  was  afraid,  and  said,  "How  dread- 
ful is  this  place !  this  is  none  other  but  the  house 
of  God,  and  this  is  the  gate  of  heaven." 

And  Jacob  rose  up  early  in  the  morning,  and 
took  the  stone  that  he  had  put  for  his  pillows,  and 
set  it  up  for  a  pillar,  and  poured  oil  upon  the  top 
of  it.  And  he  called  the  name  of  that  place  Beth-el 
(that  is  the  House  of  God) :  but  the  name  of  that 
city  was  called  Luz  at  the  first. 

And  Jacob  vowed  a  vow,  saying,  "If  God  will 
be  with  me,  and  will  keep  me  in  this  way  that  I 
go,  and  will  give  me  bread  to  eat,  and  raiment 
to  put  on,  so  that  I  come  again  to  my  father's 
house  in  peace;  then  shall  the  Lord  be  my  God, 
and  this  stone,  which  I  have  set  for  a  pillar,  shall 
be  God's  house.  And  of  all  that  thou  shalt  give 
me  I  will  surely  give  the  tenth  unto  thee." 

Genesis,  28 

For  more  about  Jacob,  read  "How  Jacob  Obeyed,'"  Genesis, 
chap.  28,  verses  1-10;  "How  Jacob  Won  Rachel,''  chap.  29; 
"How  Jacob  Met  Esau,''  chap.  32,  verses  1-23  and  chap.  33; 
"Whji  Jacob  Was  Called  Israel,"  chap.  32,  verses  24-32;  "How 
Jacob  Destroyed  the  Idols,"  chap.  35,  verses  1-15 


kot)5  Imht 


Joseph  is  a  fruifful  houijh,  eveii  a  fruitful  hough  hy  a  well; 
wJiose  branches  run  over  the  ivall.  The  archers  have  sorely 
grieved  him,  and  sJiot  at  him,  and  hated  hivi.  But  his  bene  abode 
in  strength,  and  the  arms  of  his  hands  were  made  strong  by  the 
hands  of  the  mighty  God  of  Jacob;  {from  thence  is  the  shepherd, 
the  stone  of  Israel.) 

Genesis,  40 


JOSEPH'S  DREAMS 

[osEPH,  being  seventeen  j'ears  old,  was 
feeding  the  flock  with  his  brethren;  and 
the  lad  was  with  the  sons  of  Bilhah, 
and  with  the  sons  of  Zilpah,  his  father's 
wives:  and  Joseph  brought  unto  his  father 
their  evil  report. 
Now  Israel  loved  Joseph  more  than  all  his 
children,  because  he  was  the  son  of  his  old  age: 
and  he  made  him  a  coat  of  many  colours.  And 
when  his  brethren  saw  that  their  father  loved 
him  more  than  all  his  brethren,  they  hated  him, 
and  could  not  speak  peaceably  unto  him. 

And  Joseph  dreamed  a  dream,  and  he  told  it 
his  brethren:  and  they  hated  him  yet  the  more. 
And  he  said  unto  them,  "Hear,  I  pray  you,  this 
dream  which  I  have  dreamed.  For,  behold,  we 
were  binding  sheaves  in  the  field,  and,  lo,  my  sheaf 
arose,  and  also  stood  upright;  and,  behold,  your 
sheaves  stood  round  about,  and  made  obeisance 
to  my  sheaf." 

And  his  brethren  said  to  him,  "  Shalt  thou  in- 
deed reign  over  us.'^  or  shalt  thou  indeed  have  do- 
minion over  us.'*"  And  they  hated  him  yet  the 
more  for  his  dreams,  and  for  his  words. 

And  he  dreamed  yet  another  dream,  and  told 
it  his  brethren,  and  said,  "Behold,!  have  dreamed 


68  BIBLE   STORIES 

a  dream  more;  and,  behold,  the  sun  and  the  moon 
and  the  eleven  stars  made  obeisance  to  me."  And 
he  told  it  to  his  father,  and  to  his  brethren. 

And  his  father  rebuked  him,  and  said  unto  him,' 
"What  is  this  dream  that  thou  hast  dreamed? 
Shall  I  and  thy  mother  and  thy  brethren  indeed 
come  to  bow  down  ourselves  to    thee   to    the 
earth.f*" 

And  his  brethren  envied  him;  but  his  father 
observed  the  saying. 

Genesis,  37 

HOW  JOSEPH  WAS  SOLD  INTO  EGYPT 

And  his  brethren  went  to  feed  their  father's 
flock  in  Shechem.  And  Israel  said  unto  Joseph, 
"Do  not  thy  brethren  feed  the  flock  in  Shechem.'* 
come,  and  I  will  send  thee  unto  them."  And  he 
said  to  him,  "Here  am  I." 

And  he  said  to  him,  "Go,  I  pray  thee,  see 
whether  it  be  well  with  thy  brethren,  and  well 
with  the  flocks;  and  bring  me  word  again."  So  he 
sent  him  out  of  the  vale  of  Hebron.  And  Joseph 
went  after  his  brethren,  and  found  them  in  Do- 
than. 

And  when  they  saw  him  afar  off,  even  before  he 
came  near  unto  them,  they  conspired  against  him 
to  slay  him.  And  they  said  one  to  another,  "Be- 
hold, this  dreamer  comcth.   Come  now  therefore. 


JOSEPH  SOLD  INTO  EGYPT        69 

and  let  us  slay  him,  and  cast  him  into  some  pit, 
and  we  will  say,  'Some  evil  beast  hath  devoured 
him.'  And  we  shall  see  what  will  become  of  his 
dreams." 

And  Reuben  heard  it,  and  he  delivered  him  out 
of  their  hands;  and  said,  "Let  us  not  kill  him. 
Shed  no  blood,  but  cast  him  into  this  pit  that  is  in 
the  wilderness,  and  lay  no  hand  upon  him;"  that 
he  might  rid  him  out  of  their  hands,  to  deliver 
him  to  his  father  again. 

And  it  came  to  pass,  when  Joseph  was  come 
unto  his  brethren,  that  they  stript  Joseph  out 
of  his  coat,  his  coat  of  many  colours  that  was  on 
him.  And  they  took  him,  and  cast  him  into  a 
pit.  And  the  pit  was  empty,  there  was  no  water 
in  it. 

And  they  sat  down  to  eat  bread.  And  they 
lifted  up  their  eyes  and  looked,  and,  behold,  a 
company  of  Ishmeelites  came  from  Gilead  with 
their  camels  bearing  spicery  and  balm  and  myrrh, 
going  to  carry  it  down  to  Egypt.  And  Judah  said 
unto  his  brethren,  "What  profit  is  it  if  we  slay 
our  brother,  and  conceal  his  blood?  Come,  and 
let  us  sell  him  to  the  Ishmeelites,  and  let  not  our 
hand  be  upon  him;  for  he  is  our  brother  and  our 
flesh."    And  his  brethren  were  content. 

Then  there  passed  by  !Midianites  merchantmen; 
and  they  drew  and  lifted  up  Joseph  out  of  the  pit, 
and  sold  Joseph  to  the  Ishmeelites  for  twenty 


70  BIBLE  STORIES 

pieces  of  silver.    And  they  brought  Joseph  into 
Egypt. 

And  Reuben  returned  unto  the  pit;  and,  behold, 
Joseph  was  not  in  the  pit;  and  he  rent  his  clothes. 
And  he  returned  unto  his  brethren,  and  said, 
"The  child  is  not;  and  I,  whither  shall  I  go?" 

And  they  took  Joseph's  coat,  and  killed  a  kid 
of  the  goats,  and  dipped  the  coat  in  the  blood. 
And  they  sent  the  coat  of  many  colours,  and  they 
brought  it  to  their  father;  and  said,  "This  have 
we  found.  Know  now  whether  it  be  thy  son's 
coat  or  no." 

And  he  knew  it,  and  said,  "It  is  my  son's  coat. 
An  evil  beast  hath  devoured  him.  Joseph  is  with- 
out doubt  rent  in  pieces." 

And  Jacob  rent  his  clothes,  and  put  sackcloth 
upon  his  loins,  and  mourned  for  his  son  many 
days.  And  all  his  sons  and  all  his  daughters  rose 
up  to  comfort  him;  but  he  refused  to  be  com- 
forted; and  he  said,  "For  I  will  go  down  into  the 
grave  unto  my  son  mourning."  Thus  his  father 
wept  for  him. 

And  the  Midianites  sold  him  into  Egypt  unto 
Potiphar,  an  officer  of  Pharaoh's,  and  captain  of 
the  guard. 

Genesis,  37 


PHARAOH'S  BUTLER  AND  BAKER  71 

HOW  PHARAOH'S  BUTLER  AND 
PHARAOH'S  BAKER  DREAMED  DREAMS 

And  Joseph  was  brought  down  to  Egypt;  and 
Potiphar,  an  officer  of  Pharaoh,  captain  of  the 
guard,  an  Egyptian,  bought  him  of  the  hands  of 
the  Ishmaehtes,  which  had  brought  him  down 
thither. 

And  Joseph's  master  took  him,  and  put  him 
into  the  prison,  a  place  where  the  king's  prisoners 
were  bound:  and  lie  was  there  in  the  prison. 

But  the  Lord  was  with  Joseph,  and  shewed  him 
mercy,  and  gave  him  favour  in  the  sight  of  the 
keeper  of  the  prison.  And  the  keeper  of  the  prison 
committed  to  Joseph's  hand  all  the  prisoners  that 
were  in  the  prison;  and  whatsoever  they  did  there, 
he  was  the  doer  of  it.  The  keeper  of  the  prison 
looked  not  to  any  thing  that  was  under  his  hand ; 
because  the  Lord  was  with  him,  and  that  which 
he  did,  the  Lord  made  it  to  prosper. 

And  it  came  to  pass  after  these  things,  that  the 
butler  of  the  king  of  Egj^pt  and  his  baker  had 
offended  their  lord  the  king  of  Egypt.  And  Pha- 
raoh was  wroth  against  two  of  his  officers,  against 
the  chief  of  the  })utlers,  and  against  the  chief 
of  the  bakers.  And  he  put  them  in  ward  in  the 
house  of  the  captain  of  the  guard,  into  the  prison, 
the    place   where  Joseph  was  bound.    And  the 


72  BIBLE  STORIES 

captain  of  the  guard  charged  Joseph  with  them, 
and  he  served  them.  And  they  continued  a  season 
in  ward. 

And  they  dreamed  a  dream  both  of  them,  each 
man  his  dream  in  one  night,  each  man  according 
to  the  interpretation  of  his  dream,  the  butler  and 
the  baker  of  the  king  of  Egypt,  which  were  bound 
in  the  prison. 

And  Joseph  came  in  unto  them  in  the  morning, 
and  looked  upon  them,  and,  behold,  they  were 
sad.  And  he  asked  Pharaoh's  officers  that  were 
with  him  in  the  ward  of  his  lord's  house,  saying, 
"Wherefore  look  ye  so  sadly  to  day.^" 

And  they  said  unto  him,  "We  have  dreamed  a 
dream,  and  there  is  no  interpreter  of  it." 

And  Joseph  said  unto  them,  "Do  not  inter- 
pretations belong  to  God.^^    tell  me  them,  I  pray 

you." 

And  the  chief  butler  told  his  dream  to  Joseph, 
and  said  to  him,  "In  my  dream,  behold,  a  vine 
was  before  me.  And  in  the  vine  were  three 
branches.  And  it  was  as  though  it  budded,  and 
her  blossoms  shot  forth;  and  the  clusters  thereof 
brouf^ht  forth  ripe  grapes.  And  Pharaoh's  cup 
was  in  my  hand.  And  I  took  the  grapes,  and 
pressed  them  into  Pharaoh's  cup,  and  I  gave  the 
cup  into  Pharaoli's  hand." 

And  Joseph  said  unto  him,  "This  is  the  inter- 
pretation of  it.  The  three  branches  are  three  days. 


PHARAOH'S  BUTLER  AND  BAKER  73 

Yet  within  three  days  shall  Pharaoh  lift  up  thine 
head,  and  restore  thee  unto  thy  place.  And  thou 
shalt  deliver  Pharoah's  cup  into  his  hand,  after 
the  former  manner  when  thou  wast  his  butler. 

"  But  think  on  me  when  it  shall  be  well  with 
thee,  and  shew  kindness,  I  pray  thee,  unto  me,  and 
make  mention  of  me  unto  Pharaoh,  and  bring  me 
out  of  this  house.  For  indeed  I  was  stolen  away 
out  of  the  land  of  the  Hebrews.  And  here  also 
have  I  done  nothing  that  they  should  put  me  into 
the  dungeon." 

"VNTien  the  chief  baker  saw  that  the  interpreta- 
tion was  good,  he  said  unto  Joseph,  "I  also  was  in 
my  dream,  and,  behold,  I  had  three  white  baskets 
on  my  head.  And  in  the  uppermost  basket  there 
was  of  all  manner  of  bakemeats  for  Pharaoh ;  and 
the  birds  did  eat  them  out  of  the  basket  upon 
my  head." 

And  Joseph  answered  and  said,  "This  is  the 
interpretation  thereof.  The  three  baskets  are 
three  days.  Yet  within  three  days  shall  Pharaoh 
lift  up  thy  head  from  off  thee,  and  shall  hang  thee 
on  a  tree;  and  the  birds  shall  eat  thy  flesh  from 
off  thee." 

And  it  came  to  pass  the  third  day,  which  was 
Pharaoh's  birthday,  that  he  made  a  feast  unto  al! 
his  servants.  And  he  lifted  ^iip  the  head  of  the 
chief  ])iillrr  and  of  the  chief  baker  among  his  serv- 
ants.   And  he  restored  the  chief  butler  unto  his 


74  BIBLE   STORIES 

butlersliip  again;  and  he  gave  the  cup  into  Pha- 
raoh's hand.  But  he  hanged  the  chief  baker;  as 
Joseph  had  interpreted  to  them. 

Yet  did  not  the  chief  butler  remember  Joseph, 
but  forgat  him. 

Genesis,  39,  40 


HOW  PHARAOH  DREAMED  A  DREAM 

And  it  came  to  pass  at  the  end  of  two  full  years, 
that  Pharaoh  dreamed:  and,  behold,  he  stood  by 
the  river.  And,  behold,  there  came  up  out  of  the 
river  seven  well  favoured  kine  and  f atfleshed ;  and 
they  fed  in  a  meadow.  And,  behold,  seven  other 
kine  came  up  after  them  out  of  the  river,  ill  fav- 
oured and  leanfleshed;  and  stood  by  the  other 
kine  upon  the  brink  of  the  river.  And  the  ill 
favoured  and  leanfleshed  kine  did  eat  up  the 
seven  well  favoured  and  fat  kine.  So  Pharaoh 
awoke. 

And  he  slept  and  dreamed  the  second  time.  And, 
behold,  seven  ears  of  corn  came  up  upon  one  stalk, 
rank  and  good.  And,  behold,  seven  thin  ears  and 
blasted  with  the  east  wind  sprung  up  after  them. 
And  the  seven  thin  ears  devoured  the  seven  rank 
and  full  cars.  And  Pharaoh  awoke,  and,  behold, 
it  was  a  dream. 

And  it  came  to  pjiss  In  the  morning  that  his 
spirit  was  troubled;  and  he  sent  and  called  for  all 


PHARAOH  DREAMED  A   DREAM    75 

the  magicians  of  Egypt,  and  all  the  wise  men 
thereof.  And  Pharaoh  told  them  his  dream;  but 
there  was  none  that  could  interpret  them  unto 
Pharaoh. 

Then  spake  the  chief  butler  unto  Pharaoh,  say- 
ing, "I  do  remember  my  faults  this  day.  Pharaoh 
was  wroth  with  his  servants,  and  put  me  in  ward 
in  the  captain  of  the  guard's  house,  both  me  and 
the  chief  baker.  And  we  dreamed  a  dream  in  one 
night,  I  and  he;  we  dreamed  each  man  according 
to  the  interpretation  of  his  dream.  And  there  was 
there  with  us  a  young  man,  an  Hebrew,  servant  to 
the  captain  of  the  guard;  and  we  told  him,  and  he 
interpreted  to  us  our  dreams ;  to  each  man  accord- 
ing to  his  dream  he  did  interpret.  And  it  came  to 
pass,  as  he  interpreted  to  us,  so  it  was;  me  he  re- 
stored unto  mine  office,  and  him  he  hanged." 

Then  Pharaoh  sent  and  called  Joseph,  and  thej^ 
brought  him  hastily  out  of  the  dungeon.  And  he 
shaved  himself,  and  changed  his  raiment,  and 
came  in  unto  Pharaoh. 

And  Pharaoh  said  unto  Joseph,  "I  have 
dreamed  a  dream,  and  there  is  none  that  can  in- 
terpret it.  And  I  have  heard  say  of  thee,  that 
thou  canst  understand  a  dream  to  interpret  it." 

And  Joseph  answered  Pharaoh,  saying,  "It  is 
not  in  me.  God  shall  give  Pharaoh  an  answer  of 
peace." 

And  Pharaoh  said  unto  Joseph,  "In  my  dream, 


1^  BIBLE  STORIES 

behold,  I  stood  upon  the  bank  of  the  river.  And, 
behold,  there  came  up  out  of  the  river  seven  kine, 
fatfleshed  and  well  favoured;  and  they  fed  in  a 
meadow.  And,  behold,  seven  other  kine  came  up 
after  them,  poor  and  very  ill  favoured  and  lean- 
fleshed,  such  as  I  never  saw  in  all  the  land  of 
Egypt  for  badness.  And  the  lean  and  the  ill  fa- 
voured kine  did  eat  up  the  first  seven  fat  kine. 
And  when  they  had  eaten  them  up,  it  could  not  be 
known  that  they  had  eaten  them ;  but  they  were 
still  ill  favoured,  as  at  the  beginning.    So  I  awoke. 

"And  I  saw  in  my  dream,  and,  behold,  seven 
ears  came  up  in  one  stalk,  full  and  good.  And,  be- 
hold, seven  ears,  withered,  thin,  and  blasted  with 
the  east  wind,  sprung  up  after  them.  And  the 
thin  ears  devoured  the  seven  good  ears.  And  I 
told  this  unto  the  magicians;  but  there  was  none 
that  could  declare  it  to  me." 

And  Joseph  said  unto  Pharaoh,  "The  dream 
of  Pharaoh  is  one.  God  hath  shewed  Pharaoh  what 
he  is  about  to  do.  The  seven  good  kine  are  seven 
years;  and  the  seven  good  ears  are  seven  years: 
the  dream  is  one.  And  the  seven  thin  and  ill  fa- 
voured kine  that  came  up  after  them  are  seven 
years ;  and  the  seven  empty  ears  blasted  with  the 
east  wind  shall  be  seven  years  of  famine. 

"This  is  the  thing  which  I  have  spoken  unto 
Pharaoh.  What  God  is  a])Out  to  do  he  sheweth 
unto  Pharaoh.    Behold,  there  come  seven  years 


JOSKi'H  i:i;i-()i:i-:  niAKAoii 


THE   MIGHTY  RULER   OF  EGYPT    77 

of  great  plenty  throughout  all  the  land  of  Egypt. 
And  there  shall  arise  after  them  seven  years  of 
famine;  and  all  the  plenty  shall  be  forgotten 
in  the  land  of  Egypt;  and  the  famine  shall  con- 
sume the  land ;  and  the  plenty  shall  not  be  known 
in  the  land  by  reason  of  that  famine  following; 
for  it  shall  be  very  grievous. 

"And  for  that  the  dream  was  doubled  unto 
Pharaoh  twice;  it  is  because  the  thing  is  estab- 
lished by  God,  and  God  will  shortly  bring  it  to 
pass. 

"Now  therefore  let  Pharaoh  look  out  a  man 
discreet  and  wise,  and  set  him  over  the  land  of 
Egypt.  Let  Pharaoh  do  this,  and  let  him  appoint 
officers  over  the  land,  and  take  up  the  fifth  part 
of  the  land  of  Egypt  in  the  seven  plenteous  years. 
And  let  them  gather  all  the  food  of  those  good 
years  that  come,  and  lay  up  corn  under  the  hand 
of  Pharaoh,  and  let  them  keep  food  in  the  cities. 
And  that  food  shall  be  for  store  to  the  land  against 
the  seven  years  of  famine,  which  shall  be  in  the 
land  of  Egypt;  that  the  land  perish  not  through 
the  famine."  Genesis,  41 

THE  MIGHTY  RULER  OF  EGYPT 

And  the  thing  was  good  in  the  eyes  of  Pharaoh, 
and  in  the  eyes  of  all  his  servants. 

And  Pharaoh  said  unto  his  servants,  "Can  we 


78  BIBLE  STORIES 

find  such  a  one  as  this  is,  a  man  in  whom  the 
Spirit  or  God  is  ?  " 

And  Pharaoh  said  unto  Joseph,  "Forasmuch 
as  God  hath  shewed  thee  all  this,  there  is  none  so 
discreet  and  wise  as  thou  art.  Thou  shalt  be  over 
my  house,  and  according  unto  th\^  word  shall  all 
my  people  be  ruled.  Only  in  the  throne  will  I 
be  greater  than  thou."  And  Pharaoh  said  unto 
Joseph,  "See,  I  have  set  thee  over  all  the  land  of 
Egypt." 

And  Pharaoh  took  off  his  ring  from  his  hand, 
and  put  it  upon  Joseph's  hand,  and  arrayed  him 
in  vestures  of  fine  linen,  and  ])ut  a  gold  chain 
about  his  neck.  And  he  made  him  to  ride  in  the 
second  chariot  which  he  had.  And  they  cried  be- 
fore him,  "Bow  the  knee:"  and  he  made  him 
ruler  over  all  the  land  of  I^gypt. 

And  Pharaoh  said  unto  Joseph,  "I  am  Pharaoh, 
and  without  thee  shall  no  man  lift  up  his  hand 
or  foot  in  all  the  land  of  Egypt."  And  Pharaoh 
gave  him  to  wife  Asenath  the  daughter  of  Poti- 
pherah  priest  of  On.  And  Joseph  went  out  over 
all  the  land  of  Egypt. 

And  Joseph  was  thirty  years  old  when  he  stood 
before  Pharaoh  king  of  Egypt.  And  Joseph  went 
out  from  the  presence  of  Pharaoh,  and  went 
throughout  all  the  land  of  Egypt. 

And  in  the  seven  plenteous  years  the  earth 
brought  forth  by  handfuls.   And  he  gathered  up 


JOSEPH   AND   HIS   BRETHREN      79 

all  the  food  of  the  seven  years,  wliich  were  in  the 
land  of  E^ypt,  and  laid  up  the  food  in  the  cities. 
The  food  of  theficld,  which  was  round  about  every 
city,  laid  he  up  in  the  same.  x\nd  Joseph  gathered 
corn  as  the  sand  of  the  sea,  very  much,  until  he 
left  numbering;    for  it  was  without  number. 

And  the  seven  years  of  plenteousness,  that  was 
in  the  land  of  Egypt,  were  ended.  And  the  seven 
years  of  dearth  began  to  come,  according  as 
Joseph  had  said:  and  the  dearth  was  in  all  lands; 
but  in  all  the  land  of  Egypt  there  was  bread.  And 
when  all  the  land  of  Egypt  was  famished,  the 
people  cried  to  Pharaoh  for  bread.  And  Pharaoh 
said  unto  all  the  Egyptians,  "Go  unto  Joseph; 
what  he  saith  to  you,  do." 

And  the  famine  was  over  all  the  face  of  the 
earth.  And  Joseph  opened  all  the  storehouses,  and 
sold  unto  the  Egyptians;  and  the  famine  waxed 
sore  in  the  land  of  Egypt.  And  all  countries  came 
into  Egypt  to  Joseph  for  to  buy  corn;  because 
that  the  famine  was  so  sore  in  all  lands. 

Genesis,  41 

HIS   BRETHREN   BOW   DOWN  TO 
JOSEPH 

Now  when  Jacob  saw  that  there  was  corn  in 
Egypt,  Jacob  said  unto  his  sons,  "  Wliy  do  ye  look 
one  upon  another.''    Behold,  I  have  heard  that 


80  BIBLE  STORIES 

there  is  corn  in  Egypt.  Get  you  down  thither, 
and  buy  for  us  from  thence;  that  we  may  Hve,  and 
not  die." 

And  Joseph's  ten  brethren  went  down  to  buy 
corn  in  Egypt.  But  Benjamin,  Joseph's  brother, 
Jacob  sent  not  with  his  brethren;  for  he  said> 
"Lest  peradventure  mischief  befall  him." 

And  the  sons  of  Israel  came  to  buy  corn  among 
those  that  came:  for  the  famine  was  in  the  land 
of  Canaan.  And  Joseph  was  the  governor  over 
the  land,  and  he  it  was  that  sold  to  all  the  people 
of  the  land.  And  Joseph's  brethren  came,  and 
bowed  down  themselves  before  him  with  their 
faces  to  the  earth. 

And  Joseph  saw  his  brethren,  and  he  knew 
them,  but  made  himself  strange  unto  them,  and 
spake  roughly  unto  them;  and  he  said  unto  them, 
"Whence  come  ye?"  And  they  said>  "From  the 
land  of  Canaan  to  buy  food." 

And  Joseph  knew  his  brethren,  but  they  knew 
not  him.  And  Joseph  remembered  the  dreams 
which  he  dreamed  of  them,  and  said  unto  them, 
"  Ye  are  spies;  to  see  the  nakedness  of  the  land  ye 
are  come." 

And  they  said  unto  him,  "Nay,  my  lord,  but  to 
buy  food  are  thy  servants  come.  We  are  all  one 
man's  sons;  we  are  true  men,  thy  servants  are  no 
spies." 

And  he  said  unto  them,  "Nay,  but  to  see  the 
nakedness  of  the  land  ye  are  come." 


JOSEPH  AND  HIS   BRETHREN      81 

And  they  said,  "Thy  servants  are  twelve 
brethren,  the  sons  of  one  man  in  the  land  of 
Canaan;  and,  behold,  the  youngest  is  this  day 
with  our  father,  and  one  is  not." 

And  Joseph  said  unto  them,  "That  is  it  that  I 
spake  unto  you,  saying,  'Ye  are  spies.'  Hereby 
ye  shall  be  proved.  By  the  life  of  Pharaoh  ye 
shall  not  go  forth  hence,  except  your  youngest 
brother  come  hither.  Send  one  of  you,  and  let  him 
fetch  your  brother,  and  ye  shall  be  kept  in  prison, 
that  your  words  may  be  proved,  whether  there  be 
any  truth  in  you.  Or  else  by  the  life  of  Pharaoh 
surely  ye  are  spies." 

And  he  put  them  all  together  into  ward  three 
days. 

And  Joseph  said  unto  them  the  third  day, 
"This  do,  and  live;  for  I  fear  God.  If  ye  be  true 
men,  let  one  of  your  brethren  be  bound  in  the 
house  of  your  prison.  Go  ye,  carry  corn  for  the 
famine  of  your  houses.  But  bring  your  youngest 
brother  unto  me;  so  shall  your  words  be  verified, 
and  ye  shall  not  die."   And  they  did  so. 

And  they  said  one  to  another,  "We  are  verily 
guilty  concerning  our  brother,  in  that  we  saw  the 
anguish  of  his  soul,  when  he  besought  us,  and  we 
would  not  hear;  therefore  is  this  distress  come 
upon  us." 

And  Reuben  answered  them  saying,  "Spake  I 
not  unto  you,  saying,  'Do  not    sin  against   the 


82  BIBLE   STORIES 

child;'   and  ye  would   not  hoar?  therefore,   be- 
hold, also  his  blood  is  required." 

And  they  knew  not  that  Joseph  understood 
them;  for  he  spake  unto  them  by  an  interpreter. 
And  he  turned  himself  about  from  them,  and 
wept;  and  returned  to  them  again,  and  communed 
with  them,  and  took  from  them  Simeon,  and 
bound  him  before  their  eyes. 

Then  Joseph  commanded  to  fill  their  sacks 
with  corn,  and  to  restore  every  man's  money  into 
his  sack,  and  to  give  them  provision  for  the  way: 
and  thus  did  he  unto  them.  And  they  laded  their 
asses  with  the  corn,  and  departed  thence. 

And  as  one  of  them  opened  his  sack  to  give  his 
ass  provender  in  the  inn,  he  espied  his  money; 
for,  behold,  it  was  in  his  sack's  mouth.  And  he 
said  unto  his  brethren,  "My  money  is  restored; 
and,  lo,  it  is  even  in  my  sack."  And  their  heart 
failed  them,  and  they  were  afraid,  saying  one  to 
another,  "What  is  this  that  God  hath  done  unto 
us?" 

Genesis,  42 

THE   STRANGE   MONEY  IN  THE 
MOUTHS  OF  THE   SACKS 

And  they  came  unto  Jacob  their  father  unto 
the  land  of  Canaan,  and  told  him  all  that  befell 
unto  them;  saying:  — 


THE  MONEY  IN  THE  SACKS       83 

"The  man,  who  is  the  lord  of  the  land,  spake 
roughly  to  us,  and  took  us  for  spies  of  the  country; 
and  we  said  unto  him,  '  We  are  true  men;  we  are 
no  spies.  We  be  twelve  brethren,  sons  of  our 
father;  one  is  not,  and  the  youngest  is  this  day 
with  our  father  in  the  land  of  Canaan.'  And  the 
man,  the  lord  of  the  country,  said  unto  us,  '  Here- 
by shall  I  know  that  ye  are  true  men;  leave  one 
of  your  brethren  here  with  me,  and  take  food  for 
the  famine  of  your  households,  and  be  gone.  And 
bring  your  youngest  brother  vmto  me:  then  shall  I 
know  that  ye  are  no  spies,  but  that  ye  are  true 
men:  so  will  I  deliver  you  your  brother,  and  ye 
shall  trafRck  in  the  land.'" 

And  it  came  to  pass  as  they  emptied  their  sacks, 
that,  behold,  every  man's  bundle  of  money  was 
in  his  sack.  And  when  both  they  and  their  father 
saw  the  bundles  of  money,  they  were  afraid. 

And  Jacob  their  father  said  unto  them,  "Me 
have  ye  bereaved  of  my  children.  Joseph  is  not, 
and  Simeon  is  not,  and  ye  will  take  Benjamin 
away.   All  these  things  are  against  me." 

And  Reuben  spake  unto  his  father,  saying, 
"Slay  my  two  sons,  if  I  bring  him  not  to  thee. 
Deliver  him  into  my  hand,  and  I  will  bring  him  to 
thee  again." 

And  he  said,  "My  son  shall  not  go  down  wilh 
you;  for  his  brolluM'  is  dead,  and  he  is  left  alone. 
If  mischief  befall  him  by  the  way  in  the  which  ye 


84  BIBLE   STORIES 

go,  then  shall  ye  bring  down  my  gray  hairs  with 
sorrow  to  the  grave." 

And  the  famine  was  sore  in  the  land.  And  it 
came  to  pass,  when  they  had  eaten  up  the  corn 
which  they  had  brought  out  of  Egypt,  their  father 
said  unto  them,  "Go  again,  buy  us  a  little  food." 

And  Judah  spake  unto  him,  saying,  "The  man 
did  solemnly  protest  unto  us,  saying,  'Ye  shall  not 
see  my  face,  except  your  brother  be  with  you.' 
If  thou  wilt  send  our  brother  with  us,  we  will  go 
down  and  buy  thee  food.  But  if  thou  wilt  not 
send  him,  we  will  not  go  down:  for  the  man  said 
unto  us,  'Ye  shall  not  see  my  face,  except  your 
brother  be  with  you.'" 

And  Israel  said,  "Wherefore  dealt  ye  so  ill  with 
me,  as  to  tell  the  man  whether  ye  had  yet  a 
brother?" 

And  they  said,  "The  man  asked  us  straitlv  of 
our  state,  and  of  our  kindred,  saying,  'Is  your 
father  yet  alive?  have  ye  another  brother?'  and 
we  told  him  according  to  the  tenor  of  these  words. 
Could  we  certainly  know  that  he  would  say, '  Bring 
your  brother  down'  ?" 

And  Judah  said  unto  Israel  his  father,  "Send 
the  lad  with  me,  and  we  will  arise  and  go;  that  we 
may  live,  and  not  die,  both  we,  and  thou,  and  also 
our  Hi  tie  ones.  I  will  be  surety  for  him;  of  my 
hand  slialt  thou  re(|uire  him.  If  I  bring  him  not 
unto  thee,  and  set  him  before  thee,  then  let  me 


BENJAMIN   GOES   INTO   EGYPT     85 

bear  the  blame  for  ever.  For  except  we  had 
lingered,  surely  now  we  had  returned  this  second 
time." 

And  their  father  Israel  said  unto  them,  "If  it 
must  be  so  now,  do  this;  take  of  the  best  fruits  in 
the  land  in  your  vessels,  and  carry  down  the  man 
a  present,  a  little  balm,  and  a  little  honey,  spices, 
and  myrrh,  nuts,  and  almonds.  And  take  double 
money  in  your  liand.  And  the  money  that  was 
brought  again  in  the  mouth  of  your  sacks,  carry 
it  again  in  your  hand;  peradventure  it  was  an 
oversight.  Take  also  your  brother,  and  arise,  go 
again  unto  the  man.  And  God  Almighty  give  you 
mercy  before  the  man,  that  he  may  send  away 
your  other  brother,  and  Benjamin.  If  I  be  be- 
reaved of  my  children,  I  am  bereaved." 

Genesis,  42,  43 

HOW  BENJAMIN  WENT  DOWN   INTO 
EGYPT 

And  the  men  took  that  present,  and  they  took 
double  money  in  their  hand,  and  Benjamin;  and 
rose  up,  and  went  down  to  Egypt,  and  stood  be- 
fore Joseph. 

And  when  Joseph  saw  Benjamin  with  them,  he 
said  to  the  ruler  of  his  house,  "Bring  these  men 
home,  and  slay,  and  make  ready;  for  these  men 
shall  dine  with  me  at  noon." 


86  BIBLE   STORIES 

And  the  man  did  as  Joseph  bade;  and  the  man 
brought  the  men  into  Joseph's  house.  And  the 
men  were  afraid,  because  they  were  brought  into 
Joseph's  house;  and  they  said,  "Because  of  the 
money  that  was  returned  in  our  sacks  at  the  first 
time  are  we  brought  in;  that  he  may  seek  occasion 
against  us,  and  fall  upon  us,  and  take  us  for  bond- 
men, and  our  asses." 

And  they  came  near  to  the  steward  of  Joseph's 
house,  and  they  communed  with  him  at  the  door 
of  the  house,  and  said,  "O  sir,  we  came  indeed 
down  at  the  first  time  to  buy  food.  And  it  came 
to  pass,  when  we  came  to  the  inn,  that  we  opened 
our  sacks,  and,  behold,  every  man's  money  was  in 
the  mouth  of  his  sack,  our  money  in  full  weight: 
and  we  have  brought  it  again  in  our  hand.  And 
other  money  have  we  brought  down  in  our  hands 
to  buy  food.  We  cannot  tell  who  put  our  money 
in  our  sacks." 

And  he  said,  "Peace  be  to  you,  fear  not:  your 
God,  and  the  God  of  your  father,  hath  given  you 
treasure  in  your  sacks.  I  had  your  money."  And 
he  brought  Simeon  out  unto  them. 

And  the  man  brought  the  men  into  Joseph's 
house,  and  gave  them  water,  and  they  washed 
their  feet;  and  he  gave  their  asses  provender.  And 
they  made  ready  the  present  against  Josepli  came 
at  noon:  for  they  heard  that  they  should  eat 
bread  there. 


BENJAMIN   GOES   INTO  EGYPT     87 

And  when  Joseph  came  home,  they  brought  him 
the  present  which  was  in  their  hand  into  the  house, 
and  bowed  themselves  to  him  to  the  earth. 

And  he  asked  them  of  their  welfare,  and  said, 
"Is  your  father  well,  the  old  man  of  whom  ye 
spake  ?   Is  he  yet  alive  ?" 

And  they  answered,  "Thy  servant  our  father  is 
in  good  health,  he  is  yet  alive."  And  they  bowed 
down  their  heads,  and  made  obeisance. 

And  he  lifted  up  his  eyes,  and  saw  his  brother 
Benjamin,  his  mother's  son,  and  said,  "Is  this 
your  younger  brother,  of  whom  ye  spake  unto 
me?"  And  he  said,  "God  be  gracious  unto  thee, 
my  son." 

And  Joseph  made  haste;  for  his  bowels  did 
yearn  upon  his  brother:  and  he  sought  where  to 
v;eep;  and  he  entered  into  his  chamber,  and  wept 
there.  And  he  washed  his  face,  and  went  out,  and 
refrained  himself,  and  said,  "Set  on  bread." 

And  they  set  on  for  him  by  himself,  and  for 
them  by  themselves,  and  for  the  Egyptians,  which 
did  eat  with  him,  by  themselves:  because  the 
Egyptians  might  not  eat  bread  with  the  He- 
brews; for  that  is  an  abomination  unto  the  Egyp- 
tians. 

And  they  sat  before  him,  the  firstborn  accord- 
ing to  his  birthright,  and  the  youngest  according 
to  his  youth:  and  the  men  marvelled  one  at 
another.  And  he  took  and  sent  messes  unto  them 


88  BIBLE  STORIES 

from  before  him:  but  Benjamin's  mess  was  five 
times  so  much  as  any  of  their's.  And  they  drank, 
and  were  merry  with  him. 

Genesis,  43 


THE   SILVER   CUP   IN   THE    CORN 

And  he  commanded  the  steward  of  his  house, 
saying,  "Fill  the  men's  sacks  with  food,  as  much 
as  they  can  carry,  and  put  every  man's  money  in 
his  sack's  mouth.  And  put  my  cup,  the  silver  cup, 
in  the  sack's  mouth  of  the  youngest,  and  his  corn 
money."  And  he  did  according  to  the  word  that 
Joseph  had  spoken. 

As  soon  as  the  morning  was  light,  the  men  were 
sent  away,  they  and  their  asses.  And  when  they 
were  gone  out  of  the  city,  and  not  yet  far  off, 
Joseph  said  unto  his  steward,  "Up,  follow  after 
the  men;  and  when  thou  dost  overtake  them,  say 
unto  them,  'Wherefore  have  ye  rewarded  evil  for 
good.f*  Is  not  this  it  in  which  my  lord  drinketh, 
and  whereby  indeed  he  divineth?  ye  have  done 
evil  in  so  doing.'" 

And  he  overtook  them,  and  he  spake  unto  them 
these  same  words. 

And  they  said  unto  him,  "Wherefore  saith  my 
lord  these  words?  God  forbid  that  thy  servants 
should  do  according  to  this  thing.  Behold,  the 
money,  which  we  found  in  our  sacks'  mouths,  we 


THE   SILVER   CUP  IN  THE   CORN    89 

brought  again  unto  thee  out  of  the  land  of  Canaan. 
How  then  should  we  steal  out  of  thy  lord's  house 
silver  or  gold?  "With  whomsoever  of  thy  servants 
it  be  found,  both  let  him  die,  and  we  also  will  be 
my  lord's  bondmen." 

And  he  said,  "  Now  also  let  It  be  according  unto 
your  words.  He  with  whom  it  is  found  shall  be 
my  servant;  and  ye  shall  be  blameless." 

Then  they  speedily  took  down  every  man  his 
sack  to  the  ground,  and  opened  every  man  his 
sack.  And  he  searched,  and  began  at  the  eldest, 
and  left  at  the  youngest:  and  the  cup  was  found 
in  Benjamin's  sack. 

Then  they  rent  their  clothes,  and  laded  every 
man  his  ass,  and  returned  to  the  city.  And  Judah 
and  his  brethren  came  to  Joseph's  house;  for  he 
was  yet  there:  and  they  fell  before  him  on  the 
ground. 

And  Joseph  said  unto  them,  ""SMiat  deed  is 
this  that  ye  have  done.'^  wot  ye  not  that  such  a 
man  as  I  can  certainly  divine.'^" 

And  Judah  said,  ""What  shall  we  say  unto  my 
lord.^  what  shall  we  speak .^  or  how  shall  we  clear 
ourselves?  God  hath  found  out  the  iniquity  of 
thy  servants.  Behold,  we  are  my  lord's  servants, 
both  we,  and  he  also  with  whom  the  cup  is 
found." 

And  he  said,  "God  forbid  that  I  should  do  so. 
But  the  man  in  whose  hand  the  cup  is  found,  he 


90  BIBLE   STORIES 

shall  be  my  servant;  and  as  for  you,  get  you  up 
in  peace  unto  your  father." 

Then  Judah  came  near  unto  him,  and  said,  "Oh 
my  lord,  let  thy  servant,  I  pray  thee,  speak  a  word 
in  my  lord's  ears,  and  let  not  thine  anger  burn 
against  thy  servant:  for  thou  art  even  as  Pharaoh. 

"My  lord  asked  his  servants,  saying,  '  Have  ye 
a  father,  or  a  brother.'* '  And  we  said  unto  my  lord, 
*We  have  a  father,  an  old  man,  and  a  child  of  his 
old  age,  a  little  one;  and  his  brother  is  dead,  and 
he  alone  is  left  of  his  mother,  and  his  father  loveth 
him.'  And  thou  saidst  unto  thy  servants,  'Bring 
him  down  unto  me,  that  I  may  set  mine  eyes  upon 
him.'  And  we  said  unto  my  lord,  'The  lad  cannot 
leave  his  father:  for  if  he  should  leave  his  father, 
his  father  would  die.'  And  thou  saidst  unto  thy 
servants,  'Except  your  youngest  brother  come 
down  with  you,  ye  shall  see  my  face  no  more.' 

"  And  it  came  to  pass  when  we  came  up  unto 
thy  serA'ant  my  father,  we  told  him  the  words  of 
my  lord.  And  our  father  said, '  Go  again,  and  buy 
us  a  little  food.'  And  we  said, '  We  cannot  go  down. 
If  our  youngest  brother  be  with  us,  then  will  we  go 
down:  for  we  may  not  see  the  man's  face,  except 
our  youngest  brother  be  with  us.' 

"And  thy  servant  my  father  said  unto  us,  'Ye 
know  that  my  wife  bare  me  two  sons.  And  the 
one  went  out  from  me,  and  I  said.  Surely  he  is 
torn  in  i)ieces;  and  I  saw  him  not  since.  And  if  yc 


"I  AM  JOSEPH"  91 

take  this  also  from  me,  and  mischief  befall  him, 
ye  shall  bring  down  my  gray  hairs  with  sorrow  to 
the  grave.' 

"Now  therefore  when  I  come  to  thy  servant 
my  father,  and  the  lad  be  not  with  us;  seeing  that 
his  life  is  bound  up  in  the  lad's  life;  it  shall  come 
to  pass,  when  he  seetli  that  the  lad  is  not  with  us, 
that  he  will  die:  and  thy  servants  shall  bring  down 
the  gray  hairs  of  thy  servant  our  father  with  sor- 
row to  the  grave.  For  thy  servant  became  surety 
for  the  lad  unto  my  father,  saying,  'If  I  bring  him 
not  unto  thee,  then  I  shall  bear  the  blame  to 
my  father  for  ever.' 

"Now  therefore,  I  pray  thee,  let  thy  servant 
abide  instead  of  the  lad  a  bondman  to  my  lord; 
and  let  the  lad  go  up  with  his  brethren.  For  how 
shall  I  go  up  to  my  father,  and  the  lad  be  not  with 
me.'^  lest  perad venture  I  see  the  evil  that  shall 
come  on  my  father." 

Genesis,  44 

"I  AM  JOSEPH  YOTTR  BROTHER  ^\ll0^l 
YOU   SOLD   INTO  EGYPT" 

Then  Joseph  could  not  refrain  himself  before 
all  them  that  stood  by  him;  and  he  cried,  "Cause 
every  man  to  go  out  from  me."  And  there  stood 
no  man  with  him,  while  Joseph  made  himself 
known  unto  his  brethren. 


92  BIBLE   STORIES 

And  he  wept  aloud :  and  the  Egyptians  and  the 
house  of  Pharaoh  heard. 

And  Joseph  said  unto  his  brethren,  "I  am 
Joseph.  Doth  my  father  yet  hve.'^"  And  his 
brethren  could  not  answer  him;  for  they  were 
troubled  at  his  presence. 

And  Joseph  said  unto  his  brethren,  "Come 
near  to  me,  I  pray  you."  And  they  came  near. 
And  he  said,  "I  am  Joseph  your  brother,  whom 
ye  sold  into  Egypt.  Now  therefore  be  not  grieved, 
nor  angry  with  yourselves,  that  ye  sold  me  hither: 
for  God  did  send  me  before  you  to  preserve  life. 
For  these  two  years  hath  the  famine  been  in  the 
land :  and  yet  there  are  five  years,  in  the  which 
there  shall  neither  be  earing  nor  harvest.  And 
God  sent  me  before  you  to  preserve  you  a  poster- 
ity in  the  earth,  and  to  save  your  lives  by  a  great 
deliverance.  So  now  it  was  not  you  that  sent  me 
hither,  but  God :  and  he  hath  made  me  a  father  to 
Pharaoh,  and  lord  of  all  his  house,  and  a  ruler 
throughout  all  the  land  of  Egypt. 

"Haste  ye,  and  go  up  to  my  father,  and  say 
unto  him,  'Thus  saith  thy  son  Joseph,  God  hath 
made  me  lord  of  all  Egypt:  come  down  unto  me, 
tarry  not.  And  thou  shalt  dwell  in  the  land  of 
Goshen,  and  thou  shalt  be  near  unto  me,  thou,  and 
Ihy  children,  and  thy  children's  children,  and 
thy  flocks,  and  thy  herds,  and  all  that  thou  hast. 
And  there  will  I  nourish  thee;  for  yet  there  are 


"I  AM  JOSEPH"  93 

five  years  of  famine;  lest  thou,  and  thy  household, 
and  all  that  thou  hast,  come  to  poverty.' 

"And,  behold,  your  eyes  see,  and  the  eyes  of  my 
brother  Benjamin,  that  it  is  my  mouth  that  speak- 
eth  unto  you.  And  ye  shall  tell  my  father  of  all 
my  glory  in  Egypt,  and  of  all  that  ye  have  seen; 
and  ye  shall  haste  and  bring  down  my  father 
hither." 

And  he  fell  upon  his  brother  Benjamin's  neck, 
and  wept;  and  Benjamin  wept  upon  his  neck. 
Moreover  he  kissed  all  his  brethren,  and  wept 
upon  them:  and  after  that  his  brethren  talked 
with  him. 

Genesis,  45 

Read  also  "How  Jacob  Met  Pharaoh,''  Genesis,  chap.  45, 
verses  16-28,  also  chaps.  UG  ajidj^?.  Read  too,  "  Why  Joseph's 
Ten  Brothers  Were  Ajraid,"  Genesis,  chap.  50;  and  "Moses' 
Blessing,"  Deuteronomy,  chap.  83,  verses  12-17 


3n%ptinti&i)n^t 


And  the  Lord  said  nnio  Ahram,  "Know  of  a  surety  that  thy 
seed  shall  be  a  stranger  in  a  land  that  is  7iot  their's,  and  shall 
serve  them;  and  they  shall  ajjiid  them  Jour  hundred  years. 

"And  also  that  nation,  whom  they  shall  serve,  will  I  judge: 
and  aftenoard  shall  they  come  out  with  great  substance. 

"And  thou  shall  go  to  thy  fathers  in  peace;  thou  shall  he 
buried  in  a  good  old  age. 

"But  in  the  fourth  generation  they  shall  come  hither  again: 
for  the  iniquity  of  the  Amorites  is  not  yet  full." 

Genesis,  15 


THE   HOUSE   OF  BONDAGE 


ND   Joseph  died,  and  all  his   brethren, 
land  all  that  generation. 

And  the  children  of  Israel  were  fruit- 
ful, and  increased  abundantly,  and  multi- 
plied, and  waxed  exceeding  mighty;  and  the 
land  was  filled  with  them. 
Now  there  arose  up  a  new  king  over  Egypt, 
which  knew  not  Joseph.  And  he  said  unto  his 
people,  "Behold,  the  people  of  the  children  of 
Israel  are  more  and  mightier  than  we.  Come  on, 
let  us  deal  wisely  with  them;  lest  they  multiply, 
and  it  come  to  pass,  that,  when  there  falleth  out 
any  war,  they  join  also  unto  our  enemies,  and 
fight  against  us,  and  so  get  them  up  out  of  the 
land." 

Therefore  they  did  set  over  them  taskmasters 
to  afflict  them  with  their  burdens.  And  they 
built  for  Pharaoh  treasure  cities,  Pithom  and 
Raamses. 

But  the  more  they  afflicted  them,  the  more  they 
multiplied  and  grew.  And  they  were  grieved  be- 
cause of  the  children  of  Israel.  And  the  Egyp- 
tians made  the  children  of  Israel  to  serve  with 
rigour:  and  they  made  their  lives  bitter  with 
hard  bondage,  in  mortar,  and  in  brick,  and  in  all 


98  BIBLE   STORIES 

manner  of  service  in  the  field:  all  their  service, 
wherein  they  made  them  serve,  was  with  rigour. 

Exodus,  1 

MOSES  IN  THE  ARK  OF  BULRUSHES 

And  Pharaoh  charged  all  his  people,  saying, 
"Every  son  that  is  born  ye  shall  cast  into  the 
river,  and  every  daughter  ye  shall  save  alive." 

And  there  went  a  man  of  the  house  of  Levi,  and 
took  to  wife  a  daughter  of  Levi.  And  the  woman 
bare  a  son:  and  when  she  saw  him  that  he  was  a 
goodly  child,  she  hid  him  three  months. 

And  when  she  could  not  longer  hide  him,  she 
took  for  him  an  ark  of  bulrushes,  and  daubed  it 
with  slime  and  with  pitch,  and  put  the  child 
therein ;  and  she  laid  it  in  the  flags  by  the  river's 
brink.  And  his  sister  stood  afar  off,  to  wit  what 
would  be  done  to  him. 

And  the  daughter  of  Pharaoh  came  down  to 
w^ash  herself  at  the  river;  and  her  maidens  walked 
along  by  the  river's  side.  And  when  she  saw  the 
ark  among  the  flags,  she  sent  her  maid  to  fetch  it. 
And  when  she  had  opened  it,  she  saw  the  child: 
and,  behold,  the  babe  wept.  And  she  had  compas- 
sion on  him,  and  said,  "This  is  one  of  the  He- 
brews' children." 

Then  said  his  sister  to  Pharaoh's  daughter, 
"Shall  I  iio  and  call  to  thee  a  nurse  of  the  Hebrew 


'niK  riNDiNi;  or  moses 


MOSES  AND  THE  BURNING  BUSH    99 

women,  that  she  may  nurse  the  child  for  thee  ?  " 
And  Pharaoh's  daughter  said  to  her,  "Go." 

And  the  maid  went  and  called  the  child's 
mother.  And  Pharaoh's  daughter  said  unto  her, 
"Take  this  child  away,  and  nurse  it  for  me,  and  I 
will  give  thee  thj^  wages."  And  the  woman  took 
the  child,  and  nursed  it. 

And  the  child  grew,  and  she  brought  him  unto 
Pharaoh's  daughter,  and  he  became  her  son.  And 
she  called  his  name  Moses:  and  she  said,  "Be- 
cause I  drew  him  out  of  the  water." 

Exodus,  1,  2 

Read  also,  "  Why  Moses  Fled  from  Egypt"  Exodus,  chap.  2, 
verses  11-25,  and  Acts,  chap.  7 

MOSES  AND  THE  BURNING  BUSH 

And  it  came  to  pass  in  process  of  time,  that  the 
king  of  Egypt  died:  and  the  children  of  Israel 
sighed  by  reason  of  the  bondage,  and  they  cried, 
and  their  cry  came  up  unto  God  by  reason  of  the 
bondage.  And  God  heard  their  groaning,  and  God 
remembered  his  covenant  with  Abraham,  with 
Isaac,  and  with  Jacob.  And  God  looked  upon  the 
children  of  Israel,  and  God  had  respect  unto  them. 

Now  Moses  kept  the  flock  of  Jethro  his  fiither 
in  law,  the  priest  of  Midian.  And  he  led  the  flock 
to  the  backside  of  the  desert,  and  came  to  the 
mountain  of  God,  even  to  Horeb.    And  the  angel 


100  BIBLE  STORIES 

of  the  Lord  appeared  unto  him  in  a  flame  of  fire 
out  of  the  midst  of  a  bush.  And  he  looked,  and, 
behold,  the  bush  burned  with  fire,  and  the  bush 
was  not  consumed. 

And  Moses  said,  "I  will  now  turn  aside,  and  see 
this  great  sight,  why  the  bush  is  not  burnt."  And 
when  the  Lord  saw  that  he  turned  aside  to  see, 
God  called  unto  him  out  of  the  midst  of  the  bush, 
and  said,  "Moses,  Moses."  And  he  said,  "Here 
am  I." 

And  he  said,  "Draw  not  nigh  hither:  put  off 
thy  shoes  from  off  thy  feet,  for  the  place  whereon 
thou  standest  is  holy  ground."  Moreover  he  said, 
"I  am  the  God  of  thy  father,  the  God  of  Abraham, 
the  God  of  Isaac,  and  the  God  of  Jacob."  And 
Moses  hid  his  face ;  for  he  was  afraid  to  look  upon 
God. 

And  the  Lord  said,  "I  have  surely  seen  the 
affliction  of  my  people  which  are  in  Egypt,  and 
have  heard  their  cry  by  reason  of  their  task- 
masters; for  I  know  their  sorrows.  And  I  am  come 
down  to  deliver  them  out  of  the  hand  of  the 
Egyptians,  and  to  bring  them  up  out  of  that  land 
unto  a  good  land  and  a  large,  unto  a  land  flowing 
with  milk  and  honey;  unto  the  place  of  the  Ca- 
naanites,  and  the  Hittites,  and  the  Amorites,  and 
the  Pcrizzites,  and  the  Ilivitcs,  and  the  Jebusites. 
•  "  Now  therefore,  behold,  the  cry  of  the  children 
of  Israel  is  come  unto  me:  and  I  have  also  seen 


MOSES  AND  THE  BURNING  BUSH    101 

the  oppression  wherewith  the  Egyptians  oppress 
them.  Come  now  therefore,  and  I  will  send  thee 
unto  Pharaoh,  that  thou  mayest  bring  forth  my 
people  the  children  of  Israel  out  of  Egypt." 

And  Moses  said  unto  God,  "Who  am  I,  that  I 
should  go  unto  Pharaoh,  and  that  I  should  bring 
forth  the  children  of  Israel  out  of  Egypt .^^ " 

And  he  said,  "Certainly  I  will  be  with  thee;  and 
this  shall  be  a  token  unto  thee,  that  I  have  sent 
thee:  when  thou  hast  brought  forth  the  people 
out  of  Egypt,  ye  shall  serve  God  upon  this  moun- 
tain." 

And  Moses  said  unto  God,  "Behold,  when  I 
come  unto  the  children  of  Israel,  and  shall  say 
unto  them,  *  The  God  of  your  fathers  hath  sent  me 
unto  you; '  and  they  shall  say  to  me,  'What  is  his 
name?'  what  shall  I  say  unto  them?" 

And  God  said  unto  Moses,  "I  AM  THAT  I 
AM."  And  he  said,  "Thus  shalt  thou  say  unto 
the  children  of  Israel,  I  AM  hath  sent  me  unto 
you." 

And  God  said  moreover  unto  Moses,  "Thus 
shalt  thou  say  unto  the  children  of  Israel,  'The 
Lord  God  of  your  fathers,  the  God  of  Abraham, 
the  God  of  Isaac,  and  the  God  of  Jacob,  hath  sent 
me  unto  you :  this  is  my  name  for  ever,  and  this  is 
my  memorial  unto  all  generations. 

"Go,  and  gather  the  elders  of  Israel  together, 
and  say  unto  them,  'The  Lord  God  of  your  fa- 


102  BIBLE  STORIES 

thers,  the  God  of  Abraham,  of  Isaac,  and  of 
Jacob,  appeared  unto  me,  saying,  I  have  surely 
visited  you,  and  seen  that  which  is  done  to  you 
in  Egypt.  And  I  have  said,  I  will  bring  you  up 
out  of  the  affliction  of  Egypt  unto  the  land  of  the 
Canaanites,  and  the  Hittites,  and  the  Amorites, 
and  the  Perizzites,  and  the  Hivites,  and  the  Jeb- 
usites,  unto  a  land  flowing  with  milk  and  honey.' 

"And  they  shall  hearken  to  thy  voice:  and  thou 
shalt  come,  thou  and  the  elders  of  Israel,  unto  the 
king  of  Egypt,  and  ye  shall  say  unto  him,  'The 
Lord  God  of  the  Hebrews  hath  met  with  us:  and 
now  let  us  go,  we  beseech  thee,  three  days'  jour- 
ney into  the  wilderness,  that  we  may  sacrifice  to 
the  Lord  our  God.' 

"And  I  am  sure  that  the  king  of  Egypt  will  not 
let  you  go,  no,  not  by  a  mighty  hand.  And  I  will 
stretch  out  my  hand,  and  smite  Egypt  with  all 
my  wonders  which  I  will  do  in  the  midst  thereof: 
and  after  that  he  will  let  you  go. 

"And  I  will  give  this  people  favour  in  the  sight 
of  the  Egyptians:  and  it  shall  come  to  pass,  that, 
when  ye  go,  ye  shall  not  go  empty.  But  every 
woman  shall  ask  of  her  neighbour,  and  of  her  that 
sojourneth  in  her  house,  jewels  of  silver,  and 
jewels  of  gold,  and  raiment:  and  ye  shall  i)ut  them 
ui)on  your  sons,  and  upon  your  daughters;  and  ye 
shall  spoil  the  Egyptians." 

Exodus,  2,  3 


ROD  THAT  BECAME  A  SERPENT    103 

THE   ROD  THAT  BECAME   A   SERPENT 

And  Moses  answered  and  said,  "  But,  behold, 
they  will  not  believe  me,  nor  hearken  unto  my 
voice:  for  they  will  say,  'The  Lord  hath  not  ap- 
peared unto  thee.'" 

And  the  Lord  said  unto  him,  "What  is  that  in 
thinehand?"  And  he  said,  "A  rod."  Andhesaid, 
"Cast  it  on  the  ground."  And  he  cast  it  on  the 
ground,  and  it  became  a  serpent;  and  Moses  fled 
from  before  it.  And  the  Lord  said  unto  Moses, 
"Put  forth  thine  hand,  and  take  it  by  the  tail." 
And  he  put  forth  his  hand,  and  caught  it,  and  it 
became  a  rod  in  his  hand:  "That  they  may  be- 
lieve that  the  Lord  God  of  their  fathers,  the  God 
of  Abraham,  the  God  of  Isaac,  and  the  God  of 
Jacob,  hath  appeared  unto  thee." 

And  the  Lord  said  furthermore  unto  him,  "Put 
now  thine  hand  into  thy  bosom."  And  he  put  his 
hand  into  his  bosom:  and  when  he  took  it  out, 
behold,  his  hand  was  leprous  as  snow.  And  he  said, 
"Put  thine  hand  into  thy  bosom  again."  And  he 
put  his  hand  into  his  bosom  again;  and  plucked  it 
out  of  his  bosom,  and,  behold,  it  was  turned  again 
as  his  other  flesh.  "And  it  shall  come  to  pass,  if 
they  will  not  believe  thee,  neither  hearken  to  the 
voice  of  the  first  sign,  that  they  will  believe  the 
voice  of  the  latter  sign.  And  it  shall  come  to  pass, 
if  they  will  not  believe  also  these  two  signs,  neither 


104  BIBLE  STORIES 

hearken  unto  thy  voice,  that  thou  shalt  take  of 
the  water  of  the  river,  and  pour  it  upon  the  dry 
land :  and  the  water  which  thou  takest  out  of  the 
river  shall  become  blood  upon  the  dry  land." 

And  Moses  said  unto  the  Lord,  "O  my  Lord,  I 
am  not  eloquent,  neither  heretofore,  nor  since 
thou  hast  spoken  unto  thy  servant :  but  I  am  slow 
of  speech,  and  of  a  slow  tongue." 

And  the  Lord  said  unto  him,  "Who  hath  made 
man's  mouth?  or  who  maketh  the  dumb,  or  deaf, 
or  the  seeing,  or  the  blind.'*  have  not  I  the  Lord.'^ 
Now  therefore  go,  and  I  will  be  with  thy  mouth, 
and  teach  thee  what  thou  shalt  say." 

And  he  said,  "O  my  Lord,  send,  I  pray  thee,  by 
the  hand  of  him  whom  thou  wilt  send." 

And  the  anger  of  the  Lord  was  kindled  against 
Moses,  and  he  said,  "Is  not  Aaron  the  Levite  thy 
brother.'*  I  know  that  he  can  speak  well.  And  also, 
behold,  he  cometh  forth  to  meet  thee:  and  when 
he  seeth  thee,  he  will  be  glad  in  his  heart.  And 
thou  shalt  speak  unto  him,  and  put  words  in  his 
mouth:  and  I  will  be  with  thy  mouth,  and  with 
his  mouth,  and  will  teach  you  what  ye  shall  do. 
And  he  shall  be  thy  spokesman  unto  the  people: 
and  he  shall  be,  even  he  shall  be  to  thee  instead  of 
a  mouth,  and  thou  shalt  be  to  him  instead  of  God. 
And  thou  slialt  take  this  rod  in  thine  hand,  where- 
with thou  shalt  do  signs." 

And  Moses  went  and  returned  to  Jetliro  his 


ROD  THAT  BECAINIE  A  SERPENT     105 

father  in  law,  and  said  unto  him,  "Let  me  go,  I 
pray  thee,  and  return  unto  my  brethren  which 
are  in  Egypt,  and  see  whether  they  be  yet  alive." 
And  Jethro  said  to  Moses,  "Go  in  peace." 

And  the  Lord  said  unto  Moses  in  Midian,  "Go, 
return  into  Egypt:  for  all  the  men  are  dead  which 
sought  thy  life."  And  Moses  took  his  wife  and 
his  sons,  and  set  them  upon  an  ass,  and  he  re- 
turned to  the  land  of  Egypt. 

And  the  Lord  said  to  Aaron,  "Go  into  the  wil- 
derness to  meet  IMoses. "  And  he  went,  and  met 
him  in  the  mount  of  God,  and  kissed  him.  And 
Moses  told  Aaron  all  the  words  of  the  Lord  who 
had  sent  him,  and  all  the  signs  which  he  had  com- 
manded him. 

And  Moses  and  Aaron  went  and  gathered  to- 
gether all  the  elders  of  the  children  of  Israel.  And 
Aaron  spake  all  the  words  which  the  Lord  had 
spoken  unto  Moses,  and  did  the  signs  in  the  sight 
of  the  people.  And  the  people  believed.  And 
when  they  heard  that  the  Lord  had  visited  the 
children  of  Israel,  and  that  he  had  looked  ujjon 
their  affliction,  then  they  bov/ed  their  heads  and 
worshipped. 

Exodus,  4 


106  BIBLE  STORIES 

BRICKS  WITHOUT  STRAW 

And  afterward  Moses  and  Aaron  went  in,  and 
told  Pharaoh,  "Thus  saith  the  Lord  God  of 
Israel,  'Let  my  people  go,  that  they  may  hold  a 
feast  unto  me  in  the  wilderness.'"  And  Pharaoh 
said,  "\Mio  is  the  Lord,  that  I  should  obey  his 
voice  to  let  Israel  go?  I  know  not  the  Lord, 
neither  will  I  let  Israel  go." 

And  they  said,  "The  God  of  the  Hebrews  hath 
met  with  us.  Let  us  go,  we  pray  thee,  three  days' 
journey  into  the  desert,  and  sacrifice  unto  the 
Lord  our  God;  lest  he  fall  upon  us  with  pesti- 
lence, or  with  the  sword."  And  the  king  of  Egypt 
said  unto  them,  "Wherefore  do  ye,  Moses  and 
Aaron,  let  the  people  from  their  works?  Get  you 
unto  your  burdens."  And  Pharaoh  said,  "Be- 
hold, the  people  of  the  land  now  are  many,  and 
ye  make  them  rest  from  their  burdens." 

And  Pharaoh  commanded  the  same  day  the 
taskmasters  of  the  people,  and  their  officers,  say- 
ing, "Ye  shall  no  more  give  the  people  straw 
to  make  brick,  as  herolofore.  Let  them  go  and 
gather  straw  for  themselves.  And  the  tale  of 
the  bricks,  which  they  did  make  heretofore,  ye 
shall  lay  upon  them;  ye  shall  not  diminish  ought 
thereof.  For  they  be  idle;  therefore  they  cry, 
saying,  '  Let  us  go  and  sacrifice  to  our  God.'  Let 
there  more  work  be  laid  upon  the  men,  that  they 


BRICKS  WITHOUT  STRAW        107 

may  labour  therein;  and  let  them  not  regard  vain 
words." 

And  the  taskmasters  of  the  people  went  out, 
and  their  officers,  and  they  spake  to  the  people, 
saying,  "Thus  saith  Pharaoh,  'I  will  not  give 
you  straw.  Go  ye,  get  you  straw  where  ye  can 
find  it:  yet  not  ought  of  your  work  shall  be 
diminished.' " 

So  the  people  were  scattered  abroad  throughout 
all  the  land  of  Egypt  to  gather  stubble  instead  of 
straw.  And  the  taskmasters  hasted  them,  saying, 
"Fulfil  your  works,  your  daily  tasks,  as  when 
there  was  straw."  And  the  officers  of  the  children 
of  Israel,  which  Pharaoh's  taskmasters  had  set 
over  them,  were  beaten,  and  demanded,  "Where- 
fore have  ye  not  fulfilled  your  task  in  making 
brick  both  yesterday  and  to  day,  as  hereto- 
fore.?" 

Then  the  officers  of  the  children  of  Israel  came 
and  cried  unto  Pharaoh,  saying,  "Wherefore 
dealest  thou  thus  with  thy  servants  .^^  There  is  no 
straw  given  unto  thy  servants,  and  they  say  to 
us,  'Make  brick:'  and,  behold,  thy  servants  are 
beaten;  but  the  fault  is  in  thine  own  people." 

But  he  said,  "Ye  are  idle,  ye  are  idle:  there- 
fore ye  say,  'Let  us  go  and  do  sacrifice  to  the 
Lord.'  Go  therefore  now,  and  work;  for  there 
shall  no  straw  be  given  you,  yet  shall  ye  deliver 
the  tale  of  bricks." 


108  BIBLE   STORIES 

And  the  officers  of  the  children  of  Israel  did  see 
that  they  were  in  evil  case,  after  it  was  said,  "Ye 
shall  not  minish  ought  from  your  bricks  of  your 
daily  task."  And  they  met  Moses  and  xA.aron,  who 
stood  in  the  way,  as  they  came  forth  from  Pha- 
raoh. And  they  said  unto  them,  "The  Lord  look 
upon  you,  and  judge;  because  ye  have  made  our 
savour  to  be  abhorred  in  the  eyes  of  Pharaoh,  and 
in  the  ej^es  of  his  servants,  to  put  a  sword  in  their 
hand  to  slay  us." 

Exodus,  5 

GOD  TELLS  HIS  NAME  TO  MOSES 

And  ]\Ioses  returned  unto  the  Lord,  and  said, 
"Lord,  wherefore  hast  thou  so  evil  entreated  this 
people?  why  is  it  that  thou  hast  sent  me?  For 
since  I  came  to  Pharaoh  to  speak  in  thy  name,  he 
hath  done  evil  to  this  people;  neither  hast  thou 
delivered  thy  people  at  all." 

Then  the  Lord  said  unto  INloses,  "Now  shalt 
thou  see  what  I  will  do  to  Pharaoh:  for  with  a 
strong  hand  shall  he  let  them  go,  and  with  a  strong 
hand  shall  he  drive  them  out  of  his  land." 

And  God  spake  unto  Moses,  and  said  unto  him, 
"I  am  the  Lord:  And  I  appeared  unto  Abraham, 
unto  Isaac,  and  unto  Jacob,  by  the  name  of  God 
Almighty,  but  by  my  name  The  Eternal  was 
I  not  known  to  them. 


GOD  TELLS  HIS  NAME  TO  MOSES    109 

"  And  I  have  also  established  my  covenant  with 
them,  to  give  them  the  land  of  Canaan,  the  land 
of  their  pilgrimage,  wherein  they  were  strangers. 
And  I  have  also  heard  the  groaning  of  the  children 
of  Israel,  whom  the  Egyptians  keep  in  bondage; 
and  I  have  remembered  my  covenant.  Wherefore 
say  unto  the  children  of  Israel,  *  I  am  the  Lord, 
and  I  will  bring  you  out  from  under  the  burdens 
of  the  Egyptians,  and  I  will  rid  you  out  of  their 
bondage,  and  I  will  redeem  you  with  a  stretched 
out  arm,  and  with  great  judgments. 

"'And  I  will  take  you  to  me  for  a  people,  and 
I  will  be  to  you  a  God :  and  ye  shall  know  that  I 
am  the  Lord  your  God,  which  bringeth  you  out 
from  under  the  burdens  of  the  Egyptians.  And  I 
will  bring  you  in  unto  the  land,  concerning  the 
which  I  did  swear  to  give  it  to  Abraham,  to  Isaac, 
and  to  Jacob ;  and  I  will  give  it  you  for  an  herit- 
age: I  am  the  Lord.'" 

Exodus,  5,  6 


&tmft(^ue5o|fo,^pt 


Marvellous  things  did  he  in  the  sight  of  their  fathers,  in  the 
land  of  Egypt,  in  the  field  of  Zoan. 

lie  divided  the  sea,  and  caused  them  to  pass  through;  and  he 
made  the  iraters  to  stand  as  an  heap. 

In  the  daytime  also  he  led  them  with  a  cloud,  and  all  the  night 
with  a  light  of  fire. 

Psalm  78 


THE  RODS  OF  THE   EGYPTIAN 
MAGICIANS 

|ND  Moses  spake  so  unto  the  children  of 
Israel:    but   they  hearkened    not    unto 
INIoses    for  anguish  of   spirit,    and   for 
cruel  bondage. 

And  the  Lord  spake  unto  Moses,  saying, 
"  Go  in,  speak  unto  Pharaoh  king  of  Egypt, 
that  he  let  the  children  of  Israel  go  out  of  his 
land." 

And  Moses  spake  before  the  Lord,  saying, 
"Behold,  the  children  of  Israel  have  not  heark- 
ened unto  me;  how  then  shall  Pharaoh  hear  me, 
who  am  of  uncircumcised  lips.'* " 

And  the  Lord  said  unto  Moses,  "  See,  I  have 
made  thee  as  God  to  Pharaoh:  and  Aaron  thy 
brother  shall  be  thy  prophet.  Thou  shalt  speak 
all  that  I  command  thee:  and  Aaron  thy  brother 
shall  speak  unto  Pharaoh,  that  he  send  the  child- 
ren of  Israel  out  of  his  land. 

"And  I  will  harden  Pharaoh's  heart,  and  mul- 
tiply my  signs  and  my  wonders  in  the  land  of 
Egypt.  But  Pharaoh  shall  not  hearken  unto  you, 
that  I  may  lay  my  hand  upon  Egypt,  and  bring 
forth  mine  armies,  and  my  people  the  children 


114  BIBLE  STORIES 

of  Israel,  out  of  the  land  of  Egypt  by  great 
judgments.  And  the  Egyptians  shall  know  that 
I  am  the  Lord,  when  I  stretch  forth  mine  hand 
upon  Egypt,  and  bring  out  the  children  of  Israel 
from  among  them." 

And  Moses  and  Aaron  did  as  the  Lord  com- 
manded them,  so  did  they.  And  Moses  was  four- 
score years  old,  and  Aaron  fourscore  and  three 
years  old,  when  they  spake  unto  Pharaoh. 

And  the  Lord  spake  unto  Moses  and  unto 
Aaron,  saying,  "When  Pharaoh  shall  speak  unto 
you,  saying, '  Shew  a  miracle  for  you: '  then  thou 
shalt  say  unto  Aaron, '  Take  thy  rod,  and  cast  it 
before  Pharaoh,  and  it  shall  become  a  serpent.' " 

And  Moses  and  Aaron  went  in  unto  Pharaoh, 
and  they  did  so  as  the  Lord  had  commanded:  and 
Aaron  cast  down  his  rod  before  Pharaoh,  and 
before  his  servants,  and  it  became  a  serpent. 
Then  Pharaoh  also  called  the  wise  men  and  the 
sorcerers.  Now  the  magicians  of  Egypt,  they  also 
did  in  like  manner  with  their  enchantments,  for 
they  cast  down  every  man  his  rod,  and  they  be- 
came serpents :  but  Aaron's  rod  swallowed  up  their 
rods. 

And  he  hardened  Pharaoh's  heart,  that  he 
hearkened  not  unto  them;  as  the  I^rd  had  said. 

Exodus,  G,  7 


rV-v 


^^<U2.     ^ 


THE  RIVER  OF  BLOOD  115 

THE    FIRST   PLAGUE  — THE   RIVER  OF 
BLOOD 

And  the  Lord  said  unto  Moses,  "  Pharaoh's 
heart  is  hardened,  he  refiiseth  to  let  the  people 
go.  Get  thee  unto  Pharaoh  in  the  morning;  lo,  he 
goeth  out  unto  the  water;  and  thou  shalt  stand  by 
the  river's  brink  against  he  come;  and  the  rod 
which  was  turned  to  a  serpent  shalt  thou  take  in 
thine  hand. 

"And  thou  shalt  say  unto  him,  'The  Lord  God 
of  the  Hebrews  hath  sent  me  unto  thee,  saying, 
"Let  my  people  go,  that  they  may  serve  me  in  the 
wilderness:  "  and,  behold,  hitherto  thou  wouldest 
not  hear.  Thus  saith  the  Lord,  "  In  this  thou  shalt 
know  that  I  am  the  Lord:"  behold,  I  will  smite 
with  the  rod  that  is  in  mine  hand  upon  the  waters 
which  are  in  the  river,  and  they  shall  be  turned 
to  blood.  And  the  fish  that  is  in  the  river  shall 
die,  and  the  river  shall  stink;  and  the  Egyptians 
shall  loathe  to  drink  of  the  water  of  the  river.' " 

And  the  Lord  spake  unto  Moses,  "Say  unto 
Aaron,  'Take  thy  rod,  and  stretch  out  thine  hand 
upon  the  waters  of  Egypt,  upon  their  streams, 
upon  their  rivers,  and  upon  their  ponds,  and  upon 
all  their  pools  of  water,  that  they  may  become 
blood;  and  that  there  may  be  blood  throughout 
all  the  land  of  Eg.y])t,  both  in  vessels  of  wood,  and 
in  vessels  of  stone.'" 


116  BIBLE   STORIES 

And  Moses  and  Aaron  did  so,  as  the  Lord  com- 
manded; and  he  lifted  up  the  rod,  and  smote  the 
waters  that  were  in  the  river,  in  the  sight  of  Pha- 
raoh, and  in  the  sight  of  his  servants;  and  all  the 
waters  that  v/ere  in  the  river  were  turned  to 
blood.  And  the  fish  that  was  in  the  river  died; 
and  the  river  stank,  and  the  Egyptians  could  not 
drink  of  the  water  of  the  river;  and  there  was 
blood  throughout  all  the  land  of  Egypt. 

And  the  magicians  of  Egypt  did  so  with  their 
enchantments:  and  Pharaoh's  heart  was  hard- 
ened, neither  did  he  hearken  unto  them;  as  the 
Lord  had  said.  And  Pharaoh  turned  and  went  into 
his  house,  neither  did  he  set  his  heart  to  this  also. 

And  all  the  Egyptians  digged  round  about  the 
river  for  water  to  drink;  for  they  could  not  drink 
of  the  water  of  the  river. 

And  seven  days  were  fulfilled,  after  that  the 
Lord  had  smitten  the  river. 

EXQDUS,  7 

THE  SECOND  PLAGUE  —  THE  SCOURGE 
OF  FROGS 

And  the  Lord  spake  unto  Moses,  "Go  unto 
Pharaoh,  and  say  unto  him,  '  Thus  saith  the  Lord, 
"  Let  my  people  go,  that  they  may  serve  me.  And 
if  thou  refuse  to  let  them  go,  behold,  I  will  smite 
all  thy  borders  with  frogs.    And  the  river  shall 


THE   SCOURGE   OF  FROGS         117 

bring  forth  frogs  abundantly,  which  shall  go  up 
and  come  into  thine  house,  and  into  thy  bed- 
chamber, and  upon  thy  bed,  and  into  the  house 
of  thy  servants,  and  upon  thy  people,  and  into 
thine  ovens,  and  into  thy  kncadingtroughs.  And 
the  frogs  shall  come  up  both  on  thee,  and  upon 
thy  people,  and  upon  all  thy  servants." '" 

And  the  Lord  spake  unto  Moses,  "  Say  unto 
Aaron,  'Stretch  forth  thine  hand  with  thy  rod 
over  the  streams,  over  the  rivers,  and  over  the 
ponds,  and  cause  frogs  to  come  up  upon  the  land 
of  Egypt.'" 

And  Aaron  stretched  out  his  hand  over  the 
waters  of  Egypt;  and  the  frogs  came  up,  and  cov- 
ered the  land  of  Egypt.  And  the  magicians  did  so 
with  their  enchantments,  and  brought  up  frogs 
upon  the  land  of  Egypt. 

Then  Pharaoh  called  for  Moses  and  Aaron,  and 
said,  "Intreat  the  Lord,  that  he  may  take  away 
the  frogs  from  me,  and  from  my  peoj)le;  and  I 
will  let  the  people  go,  that  they  may  do  sacrifice 
unto  the  Lord." 

And  Moses  said  unto  Pharaoh,  "  Glory  over  me: 
when  shall  I  intreat  for  thee,  and  for  thy  servants, 
and  for  thy  people,  to  destroy  the  frogs  from  thee 
and  thy  houses,  that  they  may  remain  in  the  river 
only?"  And  he  said,  "To  morrow."  And  he  said, 
"Be  it  according  to  thy  word:  that  thou  mayest 
know  that  there  is  none  like  unto  the  Lord  our 


118  BIBLE  STORIES 

God.  And  the  frogs  shall  depart  from  thee,  and 
from  thy  houses,  and  from  thy  servants,  and  from 
thy  people;  they  shall  remain  in  the  river  only." 

And  Moses  and  Aaron  went  out  from  Pharaoh : 
and  Moses  cried  unto  the  Lord  because  of  the 
frogs  which  he  had  brought  against  Pharaoh.  And 
the  Lord  did  according  to  the  word  of  Moses; 
and  the  frogs  died  out  of  the  houses,  out  of  the 
villages,  and  out  of  the  fields.  And  they  gathered 
them  together  upon  heaps:  and  the  land  stank. 

But  when  Pharaoh  saw  that  there  was  respite, 
he  hardened  his  heart,  and  hearkened  not  unto 
them;  as  the  Lord  had  said. 

Exodus,  8 

THE  THIRD  PLAGUE  — THE  LICE 

And  the  Lord  said  unto  Moses,  "Say  unto 
Aaron,  '  Stretch  out  thy  rod,  and  smite  the  dust  of 
the  land,  that  it  may  become  lice  throughout  all 
the  land  of  Egypt.'  " 

And  they  did  so;  for  Aaron  stretched  out  his 
hand  with  his  rod,  and  smote  the  dust  of  the 
earth,  and  it  became  lice  in  man,  and  in  beast; 
all  the  dust  of  the  land  became  lice  throughout 
all  the  land  of  Egypt.  And  the  magicians  did  so 
with  their  enchantments  to  bring  forth  lice,  but 
they  couhi  not.  So  there  were  lice  upon  man,  and 
upon  beast. 


THE  SWARMS  OF   FLIES  119 

Then  the  magicians  said  unto  Pharaoh,  "This 
is  the  finger  of  God."  And  Pharaoh's  heart  was 
liardened,  and  he  hearkened  not  unto  them;  as 
the  Lord  had  said. 

Exodus,  8 

THE  FOURTH  PLAGUE  — THE  SWARMS 
OF  FLIES 

And  the  Lord  said  unto  Moses,  "Rise  up 
early  in  the  morning,  and  stand  before  Pharaoh ; 
lo,  he  Cometh  forth  to  the  water;  and  say  unto 
him,  'Thus  saith  the  Lord,  "Let  my  people  go, 
that  they  may  serve  me.  Else,  if  thou  wilt  not  let 
my  people  go,  behold,  I  will  send  swarms  of  flies 
upon  thee,  and  upon  thy  servants,  and  upon  thy 
people,  and  into  thy  houses:  and  the  houses  of  the 
Egyptians  shall  be  full  of  swarms  of  flies,  and  also 
the  ground  whereon  they  are.  And  I  will  sever  in 
that  day  the  land  of  Goshen,  in  wdiich  my  people 
dwell,  that  no  swarms  of  flies  shall  be  there;  to 
the  end  thou  mayest  know  that  I  am  the  Lord  in 
the  midst  of  the  earth.  And  I  will  put  a  division 
between  my  people  and  thy  people:  to  morrow 
shall  this  sign  be.'"" 

And  the  Lord  did  so;  and  there  came  a  grievous 
swarm  of  flies  into  the  house  of  Pharaoh,  and  into 
his  servants'  houses,  and  into  all  the  land  of 
Egypt.  The  land  was  corrupted  by  reason  of  the 
swarm  of  flies. 


120  BIBLE   STORIES 

And  Pharaoh  called  for  Moses  and  for  Aaron, 
and  said,  "Go  ye,  sacrifice  to  your  God  in  the 
land." 

And  Moses  said,  "It  is  not  meet  so  to  do;  for  we 
shall  sacrifice  the  abomination  of  the  Egyptians 
to  the  Lord  our  God.  Lo,  shall  we  sacrifice  the 
abomination  of  the  Egyptians  before  their  eyes, 
and  will  they  not  stone  us?  We  will  go  three 
days'  journey  into  the  wilderness,  and  sacrifice  to 
the  Lord  our  God,  as  he  shall  command  us." 

And  Pharaoh  said,  "I  will  let  you  go,  that  ye 
may  sacrifice  to  the  Lord  your  God  in  the  wilder- 
ness; only  ye  shall  not  go  very  far  away.  Intreat 
for  me." 

And  Moses  said,  "Behold,  I  go  out  from  thee, 
and  I  will  intreat  the  Lord  that  the  swarms  of 
flies  may  depart  from  Pharaoh,  from  his  servants, 
and  from  his  people,  to  morrow :  but  let  not  Pha- 
raoh deal  deceitfully  any  more  in  not  letting  the 
people  go  to  sacrifice  to  the  Lord." 

And  Moses  went  out  from  Pharaoh,  and  in- 
treated  the  Lord.  And  the  Lord  did  according  to 
the  word  of  Moses;  and  he  removed  the  swarms  of 
flies  from  Pharaoh,  from  his  servants,  and  from 
his  people;  there  remained  not  one. 

And  Pharaoh  hardened  his  heart  at  this  time 
also,  neither  would  he  let  the  people  go. 

Exodus,  8 


THE   GRIEVOUS   MURRAIN        121 

THE   FIFTH  PLAGUE  — THE 
GRIEVOUS  MURRAIN 

Then  the  Lord  said  unto  Moses,  "Go  in  unto 
Pharaoh,  and  tell  him,  'Thus  saith  the  Lord  God 
of  the  Hebrews,  "  Let  my  people  go,  that  they  may 
serve  me.  For  if  thou  refuse  to  let  them  go,  and 
wilt  hold  them  still,  behold,  the  hand  of  the  Lord 
is  upon  thy  cattle  which  is  in  the  field,  upon  the 
horses,  upon  the  asses,  upon  the  camels,  upon  the 
oxen,  and  upon  the  sheep:  there  shall  be  a  very 
grievous  murrain.  And  the  Lord  shall  sever  be- 
tween the  cattle  of  Israel  and  the  cattle  of  Egypt: 
and  there  shall  nothing  die  of  all  that  is  the  chil- 
dren's of  Israel.'"  " 

And  the  Lord  appointed  a  set  time,  saying, 
"To  morrow  the  Lord  shall  do  this  thing  in  the 
land."  And  the  Lord  did  that  thing  on  the  mor- 
row, and  all  the  cattle  of  Egypt  died.  But  of  the 
cattle  of  the  children  of  Israel  died  not  one. 

And  Pharaoh  sent,  and,  behold,  there  was  not 
one  of  the  cattle  of  the  Israelites  dead.  And  the 
heart  of  Pharaoh  was  hardened,  and  he  did  not 
let  the  people  go. 

Exodus,  9 


122  BIBLE   STORIES 

THE   SIXTH  PLAGUE  — THE   BOILS  ON 
]\L\N  AND   BEAST 

And  the  Lord  said  unto  Moses  and  unto  Aaron, 
"Take  to  you  handfuls  of  ashes  of  the  furnace, 
and  let  Moses  sprinkle  it  toward  the  heaven  in  the 
sight  of  Pharaoh.  And  it  shall  become  small  dust 
in  all  the  land  of  Egypt,  and  shall  be  a  boil  break- 
ing forth  with  blains  upon  man,  and  upon  beast, 
throughout  all  the  land  of  Egypt." 

And  they  took  ashes  of  the  furnace,  and  stood 
before  Pharaoh;  and  Moses  sprinkled  it  up  to- 
ward heaven;  and  it  became  a  boil  breaking  forth 
with  blains  upon  man,  and  upon  beast.  And  the 
magicians  could  not  stand  before  Moses  because 
of  the  boils;  for  the  boil  was  upon  the  magicians, 
and  upon  all  the  Egyptians. 

And  the  Lord  hardened  the  heart  of  Pharaoh, 
and  he  hearkened  not  unto  them;  as  the  Lord  had 
spoken  unto  Moses. 

Exodus,  9 

THE   SEVENTH  PLAGUE  — THE   HAIL 
AND   FIRE 

And  the  Lord  said  unto  ]\Ioses,  "Rise  up  early 
in  the  morning,  and  stand  before  Pharaoh,  and  say 
unto  him,  '  Thus  sailh  the  Lord  (iod  of  the  He- 
brews, "  Let  my  people  go,  that  they  may  serve  me. 


THE   HAIL  AND   FIRE  123 

For  I  will  at  this  time  send  all  my  plagues  upon 
thine  heart,  and  upon  thy  servants,  and  upon  thj' 
people;  that  thou  may  est  know  that  there  is  none 
like  me  in  all  the  earth.  For  now  I  will  stretch  out 
my  hand,  that  I  may  smite  thee  and  thy  people 
with  pestilence;  and  thou  shalt  be  cut  off  from  the 
earth. 

" '"  And  in  very  deed  for  this  cause  have  I  raised 
thee  up,  for  to  shew  in  thee  my  power;  and  that 
my  name  may  be  declared  throughout  all  the 
earth.  As  yet  exaltest  thou  thyself  against  my 
people,  that  thou  wilt  not  let  them  go.'^ 

"'"Behold,  to  morrow  about  this  time  I  will 
cause  it  to  rain  a  very  grievous  hail,  such  as  hath 
not  been  in  Egypt  since  the  foundation  thereof 
even  until  now.  Send  therefore  now,  and  gather 
thy  cattle,  and  all  that  thou  hast  in  the  field;  for 
u])on  every  man  and  beast  which  shall  be  found 
in  the  field,  and  shall  not  be  brought  home,  the 
hail  shall  come  down  upon  them,  and  they  shall 
die.'"" 

He  that  feared  the  word  of  the  Lord  among  the 
servants  of  Pharaoh  made  his  servants  and  his 
cattle  flee  into  the  houses.  And  he  that  regarded 
not  the  w  ord  of  the  Lord  left  his  servants  and  his 
cattle  in  the  field. 

And  the  Lord  said  unto  ]Moses,  "Stretch  forth 
thine  hand  toward  heaven,  that  there  may  be  hail 
in  all  the  land  of  Egypt,  upon  man,  and  upon 


124  BIBLE   STORIES 

beast,  and  upon  everj^  herb  of  the  field,  throughout 
the  land  of  Egypt." 

And  Moses  stretched  forth  his  rod  toward 
heaven:  and  the  Lord  sent  thunder  and  hail,  and 
the  fire  ran  along  upon  the  ground;  and  the  Lord 
rained  hail  upon  the  land  of  Eg\'pt.  So  there  was 
hail,  and  fire  mingled  with  the  hail,  very  grievous, 
such  as  there  was  none  like  it  in  all  the  land  of 
Eg3'pt  since  it  became  a  nation.  And  the  hail 
smote  throughout  all  the  land  of  Egypt  all  that 
was  in  the  field,  both  man  and  beast;  and  the  hail 
smote  every  herb  of  the  field,  and  brake  every 
tree  of  the  field.  Only  in  the  land  of  Goshen, 
where  the  children  of  Israel  were,  was  there  no 
hail. 

And  Pharaoh  sent,  and  called  for  Moses  and 
Aaron,  and  said  unto  them,  "I  have  sinned  this 
time.  The  Lord  is  righteous,  and  I  and  my  people 
are  wicked.  Intreat  the  Lord  (for  it  is  enough) 
that  there  be  no  more  mighty  thunderings  and 
hail;  and  I  will  let  you  go,  and  ye  shall  stay  no 
longer." 

And  Moses  said  unto  him,  "As  soon  as  I  am 
gone  out  of  the  city,  I  will  spread  abroad  my 
iumds  unto  the  Lord;  and  the  thunder  shall  cease, 
neither  shall  there  be  any  more  hail;  that  thou 
mayest  know  how  that  the  earth  is  the  Lord's. 
But  as  for  thee  and  thy  servants,  I  know  that  ye 
will  not  yet  fear  the  Lord  God." 


THE   LOCUSTS  125 

And  the  flax  and  the  barlej^  was  smitten,  for 
the  barley  was  in  the  ear,  and  the  flax  was  boiled. 
But  the  wheat  and  the  rie  were  not  smitten :  for 
they  were  not  grown  up. 

And  Moses  went  out  of  the  city  from  Pharaoh, 
and  spread  abroad  his  hands  unto  the  Lord:  and 
the  thunders  and  hail  ceased,  and  the  rain  was 
not  poured  upon  the  earth. 

And  when  Pharaoh  saw  that  the  rain  and  the 
hail  and  the  thunders  were  ceased,  he  sinned  yet 
more,  and  hardened  his  heart,  he  and  his  servants. 
And  the  heart  of  Pharaoh  was  hardened,  neither 
would  he  let  the  children  of  Israel  go;  as  the  Lord 
had  spoken  by  Moses. 

Exodus,  9 

THE  EIGHTH  PLAGUE  — THE  LOCUSTS 
THAT  COVERED  THE  LAND 

And  the  Lord  said  unto  Moses,  "Go  in  unto 
Pharaoh:  for  I  have  hardened  his  heart,  and  the 
heart  of  his  servants,  that  I  might  shew  these  my 
signs  before  him:  and  that  thou  mayest  tell  in 
the  ears  of  thy  son,  and  of  thy  son's  son,  what 
things  I  have  wrought  in  Egypt,  and  my  signs 
which  I  have  done  among  them;  that  ye  may 
know  how  thai  T  am  the  Lord." 

And  ]Moses  and  Aaron  came  in  unto  Pharaoh, 
and  said  unto  him,  "Thus  saith  the  Lord  God  of 


128  BIBLE   STORIES 

the  Hebrews, '  How  long  wilt  thou  refuse  to  hum- 
ble thyself  before  me?  let  my  people  go,  that  they 
may  serve  me.  Else,  if  thou  refuse  to  let  my  peo- 
ple go,  behold,  to  morrow  will  I  bring  the  locusts 
into  thy  coast.  And  they  shall  cover  the  face 
of  the  earth,  that  one  cannot  be  able  to  see  the 
earth.  And  they  shall  eat  the  residue  of  that 
which  is  escaped,  which  remaineth  unto  you  from 
the  hail,  and  shall  eat  every  tree  which  groweth 
for  you  out  of  the  field.  And  they  shall  fill  thy 
houses,  and  the  houses  of  all  thy  servants,  and  the 
houses  of  all  the  Egyptians;  which  neither  thy 
fathers,  nor  thy  fathers'  fathers  have  seen,  since 
the  day  that  they  were  upon  the  earth  unto  this 
day.' "  And  he  turned  himself,  and  went  out 
from  Pharaoh. 

And  Pharaoh's  servants  said  unto  him,  "How 
long  shall  this  man  be  a  snare  unto  us.'*  let  the 
men  go,  that  they  may  serve  the  Lord  their  God. 
Knowest  thou  not  yet  that  Egypt  is  destroyed.^" 

And  Moses  and  Aaron  were  brought  again  unto 
Pharaoh:  and  he  said  unto  them,  "Go,  serve  the 
Lord  your  God:  but  who  are  they  that  shall  go.'^" 
And  Moses  said,  "We  will  go  with  our  young  and 
with  our  old,  with  our  sons  and  with  our  daugh- 
ters, with  our  flocks  and  with  our  herds  will  we 
go;  for  we  must  hold  a  feast  unto  the  Lord."  x\nd 
he  said  unto  them,  "Let  the  Lord  be  so  with  you, 
as  I  will  let  you  go,  and  your  little  ones:  look  to  it; 


THE   LOCUSTS  127 

for  evil  is  before  you.  Not  so:  go  now  ye  that  are 
men,  and  serve  the  Lord;  for  that  ye  did  desire." 
And  they  were  driven  out  from  Pharaoh's  pres- 
ence. 

And  the  Lord  said  unto  Moses,  "Stretch  out 
thine  hand  over  the  land  of  Egypt  for  the  locusts, 
that  they  may  come  up  upon  the  land  of  Egypt, 
and  eat  every  herb  of  the  land,  even  all  that  the 
hail  hath  left." 

And  ]Moses  stretched  forth  his  rod  over  the  land 
of  Egypt,  and  the  Lord  brought  an  east  wind 
upon  the  land  all  that  day,  and  all  that  night;  and 
when  it  was  morning,  the  east  wind  brought  the 
locusts.  And  the  locusts  went  up  over  all  the  land 
of  Egypt,  and  rested  in  all  the  coasts  of  Egypt. 
Very  grievous  were  they;  before  them  there  were 
no  such  locusts  as  they,  neither  after  them  shall 
be  such.  For  they  covered  the  face  of  the  whole 
earth,  so  that  the  land  was  darkened;  and  they 
did  eat  every  herb  of  the  land,  and  all  the  fruit  of 
the  trees  which  the  hail  had  left.  And  there  re- 
mained not  any  green  thing  in  the  trees,  or  in  the 
herbs  of  the  field,  through  all  the  land  of  Egypt. 

Then  Pharaoh  called  for  INIoses  and  Aaron  in 
haste;  and  he  said,  "I  have  sinned  against  the 
Lord  your  God,  and  against  you.  Now  therefore 
forgive,  I  pray  thee,  my  sin  only  this  once,  and  in- 
treat  the  Lord  your  God,  that  he  may  take  away 
from  me  this  death  only." 


128  BIBLE  STORIES 

And  he  went  out  from  Pharaoh,  and  intreated 
the  Lord.  And  the  Lord  turned  a  mighty  strong 
west  wind,  which  took  away  the  locusts,  and  cast 
them  into  the  Red  sea;  there  remained  not  one 
locust  in  all  the  coasts  of  Egypt. 

But  the  Lord  hardened  Pharaoh's  heart,  so  that 
he  would  not  let  the  children  of  Israel  go. 

Exodus,  10 

THE  NINTH  PLAGUE  —  DARKNESS 
THAT   MIGHT   BE   FELT 

And  the  Lord  said  unto  Moses,  "Stretch  out 
thine  hand  toward  heaveji,  that  there  may  be 
darkness  over  the  land  of  Egypt,  even  darkness 
which  may  be  felt." 

And  Moses  stretched  forth  his  hand  toward 
heaven;  and  there  was  a  thick  darkness  in  all  the 
land  of  Egypt  three  days.  They  saw  not  one  an- 
other, neither  rose  any  from  his  place  for  three 
days.  But  all  the  children  of  Israel  had  light  in 
their  dwellings. 

And  Pharaoh  called  unto  Moses,  and  said,  "Go 
ye,  serve  the  Lord ;  only  let  your  flocks  and  your 
herds  be  stayed:  let  your  little  ones  also  go  with 
you."  And  INloses  said,  "Thou  must  give  us  also 
sacrifices  and  burnt  offerings,  llial  we  may  sacrifice 
unto  the  Lord  our  God.  Our  callle  also  shall  go 
with  us;  there  shall  not  an  hoof  be  left  behind;  for 


DARKNESS  129 

thereof  must  we  take  to  serve  the  Lord  our  God; 
and  wo  know  not  with  what  we  must  serve  the 
Lord,  until  we  come  thither." 

But  the  Lord  hardened  Pharaoh's  heart,  and 
he  would  not  let  them  go.  And  Pharaoh  said  unto 
him,  "Get  thee  from  me,  take  heed  to  thyself,  see 
my  face  no  more;  for  in  that  day  thou  seest  my 
face  thou  shalt  die." 

And  Moses  said,  "Thou  hast  spoken  well,  I 
will  see  thy  face  again  no  more." 

And  Moses  said,  "Thus  saith  the  Lord,  '  About 
midnight  will  I  go  out  into  the  midst  of  Egypt. 
And  all  the  firstborn  in  the  land  of  Egypt  shall 
die,  from  the  firstborn  of  Pharaoh  that  sitteth 
upon  his  throne,  even  unto  the  firstborn  of  the 
maidservant  that  is  behind  the  mill;  and  all  the 
firstborn  of  beasts.  And  there  shall  be  a  great  cry 
throughout  all  the  land  of  Egypt,  such  as  there 
was  none  like  it,  nor  shall  be  like  it  any  more. 

"'But  against  any  of  the  children  of  Israel 
shall  not  a  dog  move  his  tongue,  against  man  or 
beast:  that  ye  may  know  how  that  the  Lord  doth 
put  a  difference  between  the  Egyptians  and  Israel. 

"'And  all  these  thy  servants  shall  come  down 
unto  me,  and  bow  down  themselves  unto  me,  say- 
ing, "Get  thee  out,  and  all  the  people  that  follow 
thee : "  and  after  that  I  will  go  out.' "  And  he  went 
out  from  Pharaoh  in  a  great  anger. 


130  BIBLE   STORIES 

And  the  Lord  said  unto  Moses,  "Pharaoh  shall 
not  hearken  unto  you ;  that  my  wonders  may  be 
multiplied  in  the  land  of  Egypt."  And  Moses  and 
Aaron  did  all  these  wonders  before  Pharaoh: 
and  the  Lord  hardened  Pharaoh's  heart,  so  that 
he  would  not  let  the  children  of  Israel  go  out  of 
his  land. 

Exodus,  10,  11 

THE   BLOOD   OF  THE   LAMB   THAT 
WAS   SLAIN 

Then  Moses  called  for  all  the  elders  of  Israel, 
and  said  unto  them,  "Draw  out  and  take  you  a 
lamb  according  to  your  families,  and  kill  the  pass- 
over.  And  ye  shall  take  a  bunch  of  hyssop,  and 
dip  it  in  the  blood  that  is  in  the  bason,  and  strike 
the  lintel  and  the  two  side  posts  with  the  blood 
that  is  in  the  bason ;  and  none  of  you  shall  go  out 
at  the  door  of  his  house  until  the  morning. 

"For  the  Lord  will  pass  through  to  smite  the 
Egyptians;  and  when  he  seeth  the  blood  upon 
the  lintel,  and  on  the  two  side  posts,  the  Lord 
will  pass  over  the  door,  and  will  not  suffer  the 
destroyer  to  come  in  unto  your  houses  to  smite 
you. 

"  And  ye  shall  observe  this  thing  for  an  ordin- 
ance to  thee  and  to  thy  sons  for  ever.  And  it 
shall  come  to  pass,  when  ye  be  come  to  the  land 


DEATH  OF  THE   FIRSTBORN      131 

wliich  the  Lord  will  give  you,  according  as  he 
hath  promised,  that  ye  shall  keep  this  service. 

"And  it  shall  come  to  pass,  when  your  children 
shall  say  unto  you,  'What  mean  ye  by  this  serv- 
ice?' That  ye  shall  say,  'It  is  the  sacrifice  of  the 
Lord's  passover,  who  passed  over  the  houses  of 
the  children  of  Israel  in  Egypt,  when  he  smote 
the  Egyptians,  and  delivered  our  houses.'  " 

And  the  people  bowed  the  head  and  wor- 
shipped. 

And  the  children  of  Israel  went  away,  and  did 
as  the  Lord  had  commanded  Moses  and  Aaron, 
so  did  they. 

Exodus,  12 

Other  heautijid  stories  about  the  Lavih  are,  "As  a  Ldmb  to 
the  Slaughter,"  Isaiah,  chap.  53;  '"Behold  the  Lamb  of  God," 
John,  chap.  1;  "Worthy  is  the  Lamb,"  Revelation,  chap.  5 

THE  TENTH  PLAGUE  — THE  DEATH 
OF  THE  FIRSTBORN 

And  it  came  to  pass,  that  at  midnight  the  Lord 
smote  all  the  firstborn  in  the  land  of  Egypt,  from 
the  firstborn  of  Pharaoh  that  sat  on  his  throne 
unto  the  firstborn  of  the  captive  that  was  in  the 
dungeon;  and  all  the  firstborn  of  cattle. 

And  Pharaoh  rose  up  in  the  night,  he,  and  all 
his  servants,  and  all  the  P^gyptians;  and  there  was 
a  great  cry  in  Egypt;  for  there  was  not  a  house 
where  there  was  not  one  dead. 


132  BIBLE   STORIES 

And  he  called  for  Moses  and  Aaron  by  night, 
and  said,  "Rise  up,  and  get  you  forth  from 
among  my  people,  both  ye  and  the  children  of 
Israel;  and  go,  serve  the  Lord,  as  ye  have  said. 
Also  take  j^our  flocks  and  your  herds,  as  ye  have 
said,  and  be  gone;  and  bless  me  also."  And  the 
Egyptians  were  urgent  upon  the  people,  that  they 
might  send  them  out  of  the  land  in  haste;  for  they 
said,  "We  be  all  dead  men." 

And  the  people  took  their  dough  before  it  was 
leavened,  their  kneadingtroughs  being  bound  up 
in  their  clothes  upon  their  shoulders.  And  the 
children  of  Israel  did  according  to  the  word  of 
Moses;  and  they  asked  of  the  Egyptians  jewels  of 
silver,  and  jewels  of  gold,  and  raiment:  And  the 
Lord  gave  the  people  favour  in  the  sight  of  the 
Egyptians,  so  that  they  let  them  have  what  they 
asked.   And  they  spoiled  the  Egyptians. 

And  the  children  of  Israel  journeyed  from  Ram- 
eses  to  Succoth,  about  six  hundred  thousand  on 
foot  that  were  men,  beside  children.  And  a  mixed 
multitude  went  up  also  with  them;  and  flocks, 
and  herds,  even  very  much  cattle.  And  they 
baked  unleavened  cakes  of  the  dough  which  they 
brought  forth  out  of  Egypt,  for  it  was  not  leav- 
ened; because  they  were  thrust  out  of  Egypt,  and 
could  not  tarry,  neither  had  they  prepared  for 
themselves  any  victual. 

Now  the  sojourning  of  the  children  of  Israel, 


PILLARS  OF  CLOUD  AND   OF  FIRE   133 

who  dwelt  in  Egypt,  was  four  hundred  and  thirty 
years.  And  it  came  to  pass  at  the  end  of  the  four 
hundred  and  thirty  years,  even  the  selfsame  day  it 
came  to  pass,  that  all  the  hosts  of  the  Lord  went 
out  from  the  land  of  Egypt.  It  is  a  night  to  be 
much  observed  unto  the  Lord  for  bringing  them 
out  from  the  land  of  Egypt:  this  is  that  night 
of  the  Lord  to  be  observed  of  all  the  children  of 
Israel  in  their  generations. 

Exodus,  12 

THE   PILLAR   OF   CLOUD,   AND   THE 
PILLAR  OF  FIRE 

And  it  came  to  pass,  when  Pharaoh  had  let  the 
people  go,  that  God  led  them  not  through  the 
way  of  the  land  of  the  Philistines,  although  that 
was  near;  for  God  said,  "Lest  peradventure  the 
people  repent  when  they  see  war,  and  they  return 
to  Egypt:"  but  God  led  the  people  about, 
through  the  way  of  the  wilderness  of  the  Red  sea. 
And  the  children  of  Israel  went  up  harnessed  out 
of  the  land  of  Egypt. 

And  Moses  took  the  bones  of  Joseph  with  him : 
for  he  had  straitly  sworn  the  children  of  Israel, 
saying,  "God  will  surely  visit  you;  and  ye  shall 
carry  up  my  bones  away  hence  with  you." 

And  the  Lord  went  before  them  by  day  in  a 
pillar  of  a  cloud,  to  lead  them  the  way;  and  by 


134  BIBLE   STORIES 

night  in  a  pillar  of  fire,  to  give  them  light;  to  go 
by  day  and  night.  He  took  not  away  the  pillar 
of  the  cloud  by  day,  nor  the  pillar  of  fire  by  night, 
from  before  the  people. 

Exodus,  13 


HOW  PHARAOH'S   HORSES  AND 

CHARIOTS    WERE   CAST  INTO  THE 

RED   SEA 

And  the  Lord  spake  unto  ]Moses,  saying, 
"Speak  unto  the  children  of  Israel,  that  they  turn 
and  encamp  by  the  sea.  For  Pharaoh  will  say  of 
the  children  of  Israel,  '  They  are  entangled  in  the 
land,  the  wilderness  hath  shut  them  in.'  And  I 
will  harden  Pharaoh's  heart,  that  he  shall  follow 
after  them ;  and  I  will  be  honoured  upon  Pharaoh, 
and  upon  all  his  host;  that  the  Egyptians  may 
know  that  I  am  the  Lord."   And  they  did  so. 

And  it  was  told  the  king  of  Egypt  that  the  peo- 
ple fled.  And  the  heart  of  Pharaoh  and  of  his 
servants  was  turned  against  the  people,  and  they 
said,  "Why  have  we  done  this,  that  we  have  let 
Israel  go  from  serving  us?"  And  he  made  ready 
his  chariot,  and  took  his  people  with  him.  And  he 
took  six  hundred  chosen  chariots,  and  all  the 
chariots  of  Egypt,  and  captains  over  every  one  of 
them. 

And  the  Lord  hardened  the  heart  of  Pharaoh 


PHARAOH'S  HORSES  CAST  INTO  SEA    135 

king  of  Egypt,  and  he  pursued  after  the  children 
of  Israel :  and  the  children  of  Israel  went  out  with 
an  high  hand.  But  the  Egyptians  pursued  after 
them,  all  the  horses  and  chariots  of  Pharaoh,  and 
his  horsemen,  and  his  army,  and  overtook  them 
encamping  by  the  sea. 

And  when  Pharaoh  drew  nigh,  the  children  of 
Israel  lifted  up  their  eyes,  and,  behold,  the  Egyp- 
tians marched  after  them;  and  they  were  sore 
afraid:  and  the  children  of  Israel  cried  out  unto 
the  Lord.  And  they  said  unto  Moses,  "Because 
there  were  no  graves  in  Egypt,  hast  thou  taken 
us  away  to  die  in  the  wilderness.'  wherefore  hast 
thou  dealt  thus  with  us,  to  carry  us  forth  out  of 
Egypt.''  Is  not  this  the  word  that  we  did  tell  thee 
in  Egypt,  saying,  'Let  us  alone,  that  we  may 
serve  the  Egyptians?'  For  it  had  been  better  for 
us  to  serve  the  Egyptians,  than  that  we  should  die 
in  the  wilderness." 

And  Moses  said  unto  the  people,  "  Fear  ye  not, 
stand  still,  and  see  the  salvation  of  the  Lord, 
which  he  will  shew  to  you  to  day:  for  the  Egyp- 
tians whom  ye  have  seen  to  day,  ye  shall  see  them 
again  no  more  for  ever.  The  Lord  shall  fight  for 
you,  and  ye  shall  hold  your  peace." 

And  the  Lord  said  unto  Moses,  "Wherefore 
criest  thou  unto  me.'  speak  unto  the  children  of 
Israel,  that  they  go  forward.  But  lift  thou  up  thy 
rod,  and  stretch  out  thine  hand  over  the  sea,  and 


136  BIBLE   STORIES 

divide  it:  and  the  children  of  Israel  shall  go  on 
dry  ground  through  the  midst  of  the  sea.  And  I, 
behold,  I  will  harden  the  hearts  of  the  Egyptians, 
and  they  shall  follow  them:  and  I  will  get  me  hon- 
our upon  Pharaoh,  and  upon  all  his  host,  upon  his 
chariots,  and  upon  his  horsemen.  And  the  Egyp- 
tians shall  know  that  I  am  the  Lord,  when  I  have 
gotten  me  honour  upon  Pharaoh,  upon  his  chari- 
ots, and  upon  his  horsemen." 

And  the  Angel  of  God,  which  went  before  the 
camp  of  Israel,  removed  and  went  behind  them; 
and  the  pillar  of  the  cloud  went  from  before  their 
face,  and  stood  behind  them.  And  it  came  be- 
tween the  camp  of  the  Egyptians  and  the  camp  of 
Israel;  and  it  was  a  cloud  and  darkness  to  them, 
but  it  gave  light  by  night  to  these :  so  that  the  one 
came  not  near  the  other  all  the  night. 

And  Moses  stretched  out  his  hand  over  the  sea; 
and  the  Lord  caused  the  sea  to  go  back  by  a  strong 
east  wind  all  that  night,  and  made  the  sea  dry 
land,  and  the  waters  were  divided.  And  the  chil- 
dren of  Israel  went  into  the  midst  of  the  sea  upon 
the  dry  ground.  And  the  waters  were  a  wall  unto 
them  on  their  right  hand,  and  on  their  left. 

And  the  Egyptians  pursued,  and  went  in  after 
them  to  the  midst  of  the  sea,  even  all  Pharaoh's 
horses,  his  chariots,  and  his  horsemen.  And  it 
came  to  pass,  that  in  the  morning  watch  the  Lord 
looked  unto  the  host  of  the  Egyptians  through  the 


PHARAOH'S  HORSES  CAST  INTO  SEA    137 

pillar  of  fire  and  of  the  cloud,  and  troubled  the 
host  of  the  Egyptians,  and  took  off  their  chariot 
wheels,  that  they  drave  them  heavily:  so  that  the 
Egyptians  said,  "Let  us  flee  from  the  face  of  Is- 
rael; for  the  Lord  fighteth  for  them  against  the 
Egyptians." 

And  the  Lord  said  unto  Moses,  "  Stretch  out 
thine  hand  over  the  sea,  that  the  waters  may 
come  again  upon  the  Egyptians,  upon  their  cha- 
riots, and  upon  their  horsemen." 

And  Moses  stretched  forth  his  hand  over  the 
sea,  and  the  sea  returned  to  his  strength  when  the 
morning  appeared;  and  the  Egyptians  fled 
against  it;  and  the  Lord  overthrew  the  Egyptians 
in  the  midst  of  the  sea. 

And  the  waters  returned,  and  covered  the  cha- 
riots, and  the  horsemen,  and  all  the  host  of  Pha- 
raoh that  came  into  the  sea  after  them;  there 
remained  not  so  much  as  one  of  them.  But  the 
children  of  Israel  walked  upon  dry  land  in  the 
midst  of  the  sea;  and  the  waters  were  a  wall  unto 
them  on  their  right  hand,  and  on  their  left. 

Thus  the  Lord  saved  Israel  that  day  out  of  the 
hand  of  the  Egyptians ;  and  Israel  saw  the  Egyp- 
tians dead  upon  the  sea  shore.  And  Israel  saw 
that  great  work  which  the  Lord  did  upon  the 
Egyptians:  and  the  people  feared  the  Lord,  and 
believed  the  Lord,  and  his  servant  Moses. 

Exodus,  14 


138  BIBLE  STORIES 

THE  SONG   OF  TRIUMPH 

Then  sang  Moses  and  the  children  of  Israel 
this  song  unto  the  Lord,  and  spake,  saying, 

"I  will  sing  unto  the  Lord,  for  he  hath  tri- 
umphed gloriously :  the  horse  and  his  rider  hath 
he  thrown  into  the  sea. 

"  The  Lord  is  my  strength  and  song,  and  he  is 
become  my  salvation:  he  is  my  God,  and  I  will 
prepare  him  an  habitation;  my  father's  God,  and 
I  will  exalt  him. 

"  The  Lord  is  a  man  of  war:  the  Lord  is  his 
name. 

"  Pharaoh's  chariots  and  his  host  hath  he  cast 
into  the  sea :  his  chosen  captains  also  are  drowned 
in  the  Red  sea, 

"The  depths  have  covered  them:  they  sank 
into  the  bottom  as  a  stone. 

"  Thy  right  hand,  O  Lord,  is  become  glorious 
in  power:  thy  right  hand,  O  Lord,  hath  dashed  in 
pieces  the  enemy. 

"  And  in  the  greatness  of  thine  excellency  thou 
hast  overthrown  them  that  rose  up  against  thee: 
thou  sentest  forth  thy  wrath,  which  consumed 
them  as  stubble. 

"  And  with  the  blast  of  thy  nostrils  the  waters 
were  gathered  together,  the  floods  stood  upright 
as  an  heap,  and  the  depths  were  congealed  in  the 
heart  of  the  sea. 


THE   SONG   OF  TRIUMPH         139 

"  The  enemy  said,  '  I  will  pursue,  I  will  overtake, 
I  will  divide  the  spoil;  my  lust  shall  be  satisfied 
upon  them ;  I  will  draw  my  sword,  my  hand  shall 
destroy  them.' 

"  Thou  didst  blow  with  thy  wind,  the  sea  cov- 
ered them :  they  sank  as  lead  in  the  mighty  waters. 

"  Who  is  like  unto  thee,  O  Lord,  among  the 
gods.f*  who  is  like  thee,  glorious  in  holiness,  fear- 
ful in  praises,  doing  wonders .f* 

"  Thou  stretchedst  out  thy  right  hand,  the 
earth  swallowed  them. 

"  Thou  in  thy  mercy  hast  led  forth  the  people 
which  thou  hast  redeemed :  thou  hast  guided  them 
in  thy  strength  unto  thy  holy  habitation. 

"The  people  shall  hear,  and  be  afraid:  sorrow 
shall  take  hold  on  the  inhabitants  of  Palestina. 

"  Then  the  dukes  of  Edom  shall  be  amazed;  the 
mighty  men  of  Moab,  trembling  shall  take  hold 
upon  them;  all  the  inhabitants  of  Canaan  shall 
melt  away. 

"  Fear  and  dread  shall  fall  upon  them;  by  the 
greatness  of  thine  arm  they  shall  be  as  still  as  a 
stone;  till  thy  people  pass  over,  O  Lord,  till  the 
people  pass  over,  which  thou  hast  purchased. 

"Thou  shalt  bring  them  in,  and  plant  them  in 
the  mountain  of  thine  inheritance,  in  the  place, 
O  Lord,  which  thou  hast  made  for  thee  to  dwell 
in,  in  the  Sanctuary,  O  Lord,  which  thy  hands 
have  established. 


140  BIBLE   STORIES 

"  The  Lord  shall  reign  for  ever  and  ever." 
For  the  horses  of  Pharaoh  went  in  with  his 
chariots  and  with  his  horsemen  into  the  sea,  and 
the  Lord  brought  again  the  waters  of  the  sea  upon 
them;  but  the  children  of  Israel  went  on  dry  land 
in  the  midst  of  the  sea. 

And  Miriam  the  prophetess,  the  sister  of  Aaron, 
took  a  timbrel  in  her  hand;  and  all  the  women 
went  out  after  her  with  timbrels  and  with  dances. 
And  Miriam  answered  them,  "  Sing  ye  to  the 
Lord,  for  he  hath  triumphed  gloriously;  the  horse 
and  his  rider  hath  he  thrown  into  the  sea." 

Exodus,  15 


Atufe  tathe'lt)ttJrme55 


They  wandered  in  the  wilderness  in  a  solitary  way  ;  ihty 
found  no  city  to  divell  in. 

Hungry  and  thirsty,  their  soul  fainted  in  them. 

Then  they  cried  unto  the  Lord  in  their  trouble,  and  he  delivered 
tJiem  out  of  their  distresses. 

And  lie  led  them  forth  by  the  right  way,  tliat  they  might  go  to  a 
city  of  habitation. 

Oh  that  men  rroidd  praise  the  Lord  for  his  goodness,  and  for 
his  wonderful  works  to  the  children  of  men  ! 

Psalm  107 


THE  ANGELS'   FOOD 

ND  they  took  their  journey  from  Elim, 
and  all  the  congregation  of  the  children 
'of  Israel  came  unto  the  wilderness  of 
Sin,  which  is  between  Elim  and  Sinai,  on  the 
fifteenth  day  of  the  second  month  after 
their  departing  out  of  the  land  of  Egypt. 
And  the  whole  congregation  of  the  children  of 
Israel  murmured  against  Moses  and  Aaron  in  the 
wilderness.  And  the  children  of  Israel  said  unto 
them,  "Would  to  God  we  had  died  by  the  hand  of 
the  Lord  in  the  land  of  Egypt,  when  we  sat  by  the 
flesh  pots,  and  when  we  did  eat  bread  to  the  full; 
for  ye  have  brought  us  forth  into  this  wilderness, 
to  kill  this  whole  assembly  with  hunger." 

Then  said  the  Lord  unto  Moses,  "Behold,  I  will 
rain  bread  from  heaven  for  you;  and  the  people 
shall  go  out  and  gather  a  certain  rate  every  day, 
that  I  may  prove  them,  whether  they  will  walk  in 
my  law,  or  no.  And  it  shall  come  to  pass,  that  on 
the  sixth  day  they  shall  prepare  that  which  they 
bring  in;  and  it  shall  be  twice  as  much  as  they 
gather  daily." 

And  Moses  and  Aaron  said  unto  all  the  chil- 
dren of  Israel,  "At  even,  then  ye  shall  know  that 
the  Lord  hath  brought  you  out  from  the  land  of 


144  BIBLE   STORIES 

Egypt.  And  in  the  morning,  then  ye  shall  see  the 
glory  of  the  Lord;  for  that  he  heareth  your  mur- 
murings  against  the  Lord :  and  what  are  we,  that 
ye  in\irmur  against  us?" 

And  Moses  said,  "  This  shall  be,  when  the  Lord 
shall  give  you  in  the  evening  flesh  to  eat,  and  in 
the  morning  bread  to  the  full;  for  that  the  Lord 
heareth  your  murmurings  which  ye  murmur 
against  him:  and  what  are  we?  your  murmurings 
are  not  against  us,  but  against  the  Lord." 

And  Moses  spake  unto  Aaron,  "  Say  unto  all 
the  congregation  of  the  children  of  Israel,  'Come 
near  before  the  Lord :  for  he  hath  heard  your  mur- 
murings.' "  And  it  came  to  pass,  as  Aaron  spake 
unto  the  whole  congregation  of  the  children  of 
Israel,  that  they  looked  toward  the  wilderness, 
and,  behold,  the  glory  of  the  Lord  appeared  in  the 
cloud. 

And  the  Lord  spake  unto  Moses,  saying,  "I 
have  heard  the  murmurings  of  the  children  of 
Israel:  speak  unto  them,  saying,  'At  even  ye  shall 
eat  flesh,  and  in  the  morning  ye  shall  be  filled  with 
bread;  and  ye  shall  know  that  I  am  the  Lord  your 
God.'" 

And  it  came  to  pass,  that  at  even  the  quails 
came  up,  and  covered  the  camp:  and  in  the  morn- 
ing the  dew  lay  round  about  the  host.  And  when 
the  dew  that  lay  was  gone  up,  behold,  u|)()n  the 
face  of  the  wilderness  there  lay  a  small  round 


THE  ANGELS'   FOOD  145 

thing,  as  small  as  the  hoar  frost  on  the  ground. 
And  when  the  children  of  Israel  saw  it,  they  said 
one  to  another,  "It  is  manna:  "  for  they  wist  not 
vjhat  it  was. 

And  Moses  said  unto  them,  "This  is  the  bread 
which  the  Lord  hath  given  you  to  eat.  This  is  the 
thing  which  the  Lord  hath  commanded,  '  Gather 
of  it  every  man  according  to  his  eating,  an  omer 
for  every  man,  according  to  the  number  of  your 
persons;  take  ye  every  man  for  them  which  are 
in  his  tents.'  " 

And  the  children  of  Israel  did  so,  and  gathered, 
some  more,  some  less.  And  when  they  did  mete 
it  with  an  omer,  he  that  gathered  much  had  noth- 
ing over,  and  he  that  gathered  little  had  no  lack; 
they  gathered  every  man  according  to  his  eating. 

And  Moses  said,  "Let  no  man  leave  of  it  till 
the  morning."  Notwithstanding  they  hearkened 
not  unto  Moses;  but  some  of  them  left  of  it  until 
the  morning,  and  it  bred  worms,  and  stank :  and 
Moses  was  wroth  with  them.  And  they  gathered 
it  every  morning,  every  man  according  to  his  eat- 
ing. And  when  the  sun  waxed  hot,  it  melted. 

And  it  came  to  pass,  that  on  the  sixth  day  they 
gathered  twice  as  much  bread,  two  omers  for  one 
man:  and  all  the  rulers  of  the  congregation  came 
and  told  Moses.  And  he  said  unto  them,  "  This  is 
that  which  the  Lord  hath  said.  To  morrow  is  the 
rest  of  the  holy  sabbath  unto  the  Lord.    Bake 


146  BIBLE   STORIES 

that  which  ye  will  bake  to  day,  and  seethe  that  ye 
will  seethe;  and  that  which  remaineth  over  lay  up 
for  you  to  be  kept  until  the  morning." 

And  they  laid  it  up  till  the  morning,  as  Moses 
bade:  and  it  did  not  stink,  neither  was  there  any 
worm  therein.  And  Moses  said,  "  Eat  that  to  day; 
for  to  day  is  a  sabbath  unto  the  Lord.  To  day  ye 
shall  not  find  it  in  the  field.  Six  daj^s  ye  shall 
gather  it;  but  on  the  seventh  day,  which  is  the 
sabbath,  in  it  there  shall  be  none." 

And  it  came  to  pass,  that  there  went  out  some 
of  the  people  on  the  seventh  day  for  to  gather, 
and  they  found  none.  And  the  Lord  said  unto 
Moses,  "How  long  refuse  ye  to  keep  my  com- 
mandments and  my  laws.-^  See,  for  that  the  Lord 
hath  given  you  the  sabbath,  therefore  he  giveth 
you  on  the  sixth  day  the  bread  of  two  days;  abide 
ye  every  man  in  his  place,  let  no  man  go  out  of  his 
place  on  the  seventh  day."  So  the  people  rested 
on  the  seventh  day. 

And  the  house  of  Israel  called  the  name  thereof 
"  Manna."  And  it  was  like  coriander  seed,  white; 
and  the  taste  of  it  was  like  wafers  made  with 
honey. 

And  Moses  said,  "This  is  the  thing  which  the 
Lord  commandeth,  'Fill  an  omer  of  it  to  be  kept 
for  your  generations;  that  they  may  see  the  bread 
wherewith  I  have  fed  you  in  the  wilderness,  when 
I  brought  you  forth  from  the  land  of  Egypt.'" 


WRITTEN   WITH  FINGER  OF   GOD     147 

And  Moses  said  unto  Aaron,  "Take  a  pot,  and 
put  an  omer  full  of  manna  therein,  and  lay  it  up 
before  the  Lord,  to  be  kept  for  your  generations." 
As  the  Lord  commanded  Moses,  so  Aaron  laid  it 
up  before  the  Testimony,  to  be  kept. 

And  the  children  of  Israel  did  eat  manna  forty 
years,  until  they  came  to  a  land  inhabited;  they 
did  eat  manna,  until  they  came  unto  the  borders 
of  the  land  of  Canaan. 

Exodus,  16 


WRITTEN  WITH  THE  FINGER  OF 
GOD 

In  the  third  month,  when  the  children  of  Israel 
were  gone  forth  out  of  the  land  of  Egypt,  the 
same  day  came  they  into  the  wilderness  of  Sinai. 
For  they  were  departed  from  Rephidim,  and  were 
come  to  the  desert  of  Sinai,  and  had  pitched  in 
the  wilderness;  and  there  Israel  camped  before 
the    mount. 

And  the  Lord  said  unto  Moses,  "Come  up  unto 
the  Lord,  thou,  and  Aaron,  Nadab,  and  Abihu, 
and  seventy  of  the  elders  of  Israel;  and  worship 
ye  afar  off.  And  Moses  alone  shall  come  near  the 
Lord :  but  they  shall  not  come  nigh ;  neither  shall 
the  people  go  up  with  him." 

Then  went  up  Moses,  and  Aaron,  Nadab,  and 


148  BIBLE   STORIES 

Abihu,  and  seventy  of  the  elders  of  Israel.  And 
they  saw  the  God  of  Israel:  and  there  was  under 
his  feet  as  it  were  a  paved  work  of  a  sapphire 
stone,  and  as  it  were  the  body  of  heaven  in  his 
clearness.  And  upon  the  nobles  of  the  children  of 
Israel  he  laid  not  his  hand :  also  they  saw  God,  and 
did  eat  and  drink. 

And  the  Lord  said  unto  Moses,  "Come  up  to 
me  into  the  mount,  and  be  there:  and  I  will  give 
thee  tables  of  stone,  and  a  law,  and  command- 
ments which  I  have  written;  that  thou  may  est 
teach  them." 

And  Moses  rose  up,  and  his  minister  Joshua: 
and  Moses  went  up  into  the  movmt  of  God.  And 
he  said  unto  the  elders,  "Tarry  ye  here  for  us, 
until  we  come  again  unto  you.  And,  behold, 
Aaron  and  Hur  are  with  you.  If  any  man  have 
any  matters  to  do,  let  him  come  unto  them." 

And  Moses  went  up  into  the  mount,  and  a  cloud 
covered  the  mount.  And  the  glory  of  the  Lord 
abode  upon  mount  Sinai,  and  the  cloud  covered 
it  six  days.  And  the  seventh  day  he  called  unto 
Moses  out  of  the  midst  of  the  cloud.  And  the 
sight  of  the  glory  of  the  Lord  was  like  devour- 
ing fire  on  the  top  of  the  mount  in  the  eyes  of 
the  children  of  Israel.  And  Moses  Avent  into  the 
midst  of  the  cloud,  and  gat  him  up  into  the 
mount:  and  Moses  was  in  the  mount  forty  days 
and   forty  nights. 


4 


MUSKS   AM)    rilK   TAl'.LLS   Ol     STONK 


THE   TEN  COMMANDMENTS      149 

And  he  gave  unto  Moses,  when  he  had  made  an 
end  of  communing  with  him  upon  mount  Sinai, 
two  tables  of  testimony,  tables  of  stone,  written 
with  the  finger  of  God. 

Exodus,  19,  24,  31 

Read  also,  about  "  The  Bitter  Waters,""  Exodus,  chap.  15, 
verses  22-27;  and  about  "  The  Baffle  with  Avialek,"'  Exodus, 
chap.  17;  and  "  Why  all  the  People  Trembled,''"  Exodus,  chap.  19 


THE  TEN   COMIVIANDMENTS 

And  God  spake  all  these  words,  saying,  "  I  am 
the  Lord  thy  God,  which  have  brought  thee  out 
of  the  land  of  Egypt,  out  of  the  house  of  bondage. 

"  Thou  shalt  have  no  other  gods  before  me. 

"  Thou  shalt  not  make  unto  thee  any  graven 
image,  or  any  likeness  of  any  thing  that  is  in 
heaven  above,  or  that  is  in  the  earth  beneath,  or 
that  is  in  the  water  under  the  earth: 

"  Thou  shalt  not  bow  down  thyself  to  them,  nor 
serve  them :  for  I  the  Lord  thy  God  am  a  jealous 
God,  visiting  the  ini(iuity  of  the  fathers  upon  the 
children  unto  the  third  and  fourth  generation  of 
them  that  hate  me;  and  shewing  mercy  unto 
thousands  of  them  that  love  me,  and  keep  my 
commandments. 

"  Thou  shalt  not  take  the  name  of  the  Lord  thy 
God  in  vain;  for  the  Lord  will  not  hold  him  guilt- 
less that  taketh  his  name  in  vain. 


150  BIBLE  STORIES 

"  Remember  the  sabbath  day,  to  keep  it  holy. 

"Six  days  shalt  thou  labour,  and  do  all  thy 
work: 

"  But  the  seventh  day  is  the  sabbath  of  the  Lord 
thy  God:  in  it  thou  shalt  not  do  any  work,  thou, 
nor  thy  son,  nor  thy  daughter,  thy  manservant, 
nor  thy  maidservant,  nor  thy  cattle,  nor  thy 
stranger  that  is  within  thy  gates : 

"  For  in  six  days  the  Lord  made  heaven  and 
earth,  the  sea,  and  all  that  in  them  is,  and  rested 
the  seventh  day:  wherefore  the  Lord  blessed  the 
sabbath  day,  and  hallowed  it. 

"  Honour  thy  father  and  thy  mother:  that  thy 
days  may  be  long  upon  the  land  which  the  Lord 
thy  God  giveth  thee. 

"  Thou  shalt  not  kill. 

"  Thou  shalt  not  commit  adultery. 

"  Thou  shalt  not  steal. 

"  Thou  shalt  not  bear  false  witness  against  thy 
neighbour. 

"  Thou  shalt  not  covet  thy  neighbour's  house, 
thou  shalt  not  covet  thy  neighbour's  wife,  nor  his 
manservant,  nor  his  maidservant,  nor  his  ox,  nor 
his  ass,  nor  any  thing  that  is  thy  neighbour's." 

And  all  the  people  saw  the  thunderings,  and 
the  lightnings,  and  the  noise  of  the  trumpet,  and 
the  mountain  smoking:  and  when  the  people  saw 
it,  they  removed,  and  stood  afar  off. 

Exodus,  20 


A  FEW  OF  GOD'S   LAWS  151 

A  FEW  OF  THE  MANY  LAWS  GOD 
GAVE   ISRAEL 

Hear,  O  Israel:  The  Lord  our  God  is  one  Lord: 
and  thou  shall  love  the  Lord  thy  God  with  all 
thine  heart,  and  with  all  thy  soul,  and  with  all 
thy  might. 

Deuteronomy,  6 

Ye  shall  not  do  after  all  the  things  that  we  do 
here  this  day,  every  man  whatsoever  is  right  in 
his  own  eyes. 

Deuteronomy,  12 

Ye  shall  make  you  no  idols  nor  graven  image, 
neither  rear  you  up  a  standing  image,  neither 
shall  ye  set  up  any  image  of  stone  in  your  land,  to 
bow  down  unto  it:  for  I  am  the  Lord  your  God. 

Leviticus,  26 

Neither  lie  one  to  another. 

Leviticus,  19 

Ye  shall  do  no  unrighteousness  in  judgment. 
Thou  shalt  not  respect  the  person  of  the  poor, 
nor  honour  the  person  of  the  mighty:  but  in 
righteousness  shalt  thou  judge  thy  neighbour. 

Leviticus,  19 


152  BIBLE  STORIES 

And  thou  shalt  take  no  gift :  for  the  gift  blind- 
eth  the  wise,  and  perverteth  the  words  of  the 
righteous. 

Exodus,  23 

Thou  shalt  not  pervert  the  judgment  of  the 
stranger,  nor  of  the  fatherless;  nor  take  a  widow's 
raiment  to  pledge. 

Deuteronomy,  24 

Thou  shalt  not  have  in  thy  bag  divers  weights, 
a  great  and  a  small.  Thou  shalt  not  have  in  thine 
house  divers  measures,  a  great  and  a  small.  But 
thou  shalt  have  a  perfect  and  just  weight,  a  per- 
fect and  just  measure  shalt  thou  have:  that  thy 
days  may  be  lengthened  in  the  land  which  the 
Lord  thy  God  giveth  thee.  For  all  that  do  such 
things,  and  all  that  do  unrighteously,  are  an 
abomination  unto  the  Lord  thy  God. 

Deuteronomy,  25 

Regard  not  them  that  have  familiar  spirits, 
neither  seek  after  wizards,  to  be  defiled  by  them: 
I  am  the  Lord  your  God. 

Leviticus,  19 

Thou  shalt  not  follow  a  multitude  to  do  evil. 

Exodus,  23 


A  FEW  OF  GOD'S  LAWS  153 

Thou  shalt  rise  up  before  the  hoary  head,  and 
honour  the  face  of  the  old  man,  and  fear  thy  God : 
I  am  the  Lord. 

Leviticus,  19 

Thou  shalt  not  defraud  thy  neighbour,  neither 
rob  him. 

Leviticus,  19 

Thou  shalt  not  oppress  an  hired  servant  that  is 
poor  and  needy,  whether  he  be  of  thy  brethren,  or 
of  thy  strangers  that  are  in  thy  land  within  thy 
gates:  at  his  day  thou  shalt  give  him  his  hire, 
neither  shall  the  sun  go  down  upon  it;  for  he  is 
poor,  and  setteth  his  heart  upon  it:  lest  he  cry 
against  thee  unto  the  Lord,  and  it  be  sin  unto 
thee. 

Deuteronomy,  24 

Thou  shalt  not  curse  the  deaf,  nor  put  a  stum- 
blingblock  before  the  blind,  but  shalt  fear  thy 
God:  I  am  the  Lord. 

Leviticus,  19 

Thou  shalt  not  go  up  and  down  as  a  talebearer 
among  thy  people. 

Leviticus,  19 


154  BIBLE   STORIES 

If  there  be  among  you  a  poor  man  of  one  of  thy 
brethren  within  any  of  thy  gates  in  thy  land 
which  the  Lord  thy  God  giveth  thee,  thou  shalt 
not  harden  thine  heart,  nor  shut  thine  hand  from 
thy  poor  brother:  but  thou  shalt  open  thine  hand 
wide  unto  him,  and  shalt  surely  lend  him  sufficient 
for  his  need,  in  that  which  he  wanteth. 

Deuteronomy,  15 

When  thou  cuttest  down  thine  harvest  in  thy 
field,  and  hast  forgot  a  sheaf  in  the  field,  thou 
shalt  not  go  again  to  fetch  it.  It  shall  be  for  the 
stranger,  for  the  fatherless,  and  for  the  widow: 
that  the  Lord  thy  God  may  bless  thee  in  all  the 
work  of  thine  hands. 

When  thou  beatest  thine  olive  tree,  thou  shalt 
not  go  over  the  boughs  again.  It  shall  be  for  the 
stranger,  for  the  fatherless,  and  for  the  widow. 

When  thou  gatherest  the  grapes  of  thy  vine- 
yard, thou  shalt  not  glean  it  afterward.  It  shall  be 
for  the  stranger,  for  the  fatherless,  and  for  the 
widow. 

Deuteronomy,  24 

For  the  poor  shall  never  cease  out  of  the  land: 
therefore  I  command  thee,  saying.  Thou  shalt 
open  thine  hand  wide  unto  thy  brother,  to  thy 
poor,  and  to  thy  needy,  in  thy  land. 

Deuteronomy,  15 


A   FEW   OF  GOD'S   LAWS  155 

When  thou  comest  into  thy  neighbour's  vine- 
yard, then  thou  mayest  eat  grapes  thy  fill  at 
thine  own  pleasure;  but  thou  slialt  not  put  any  in 
thy  vessel. 

When  thou  comest  into  the  standing  corn  of 
thy  neighbour,  then  thou  mayest  pluck  the  ears 
with  thine  hand;  but  thou  shalt  not  move  a  sickle 
unto  thy  neighbour's  standing  corn. 

Deuteronomy,  23 

If  a  bird's  nest  chance  to  be  before  thee  in  the 
way  in  any  tree,  or  on  the  ground,  whether  they 
be  young  ones,  or  eggs,  and  the  dam  sitting  upon 
the  young,  or  upon  the  eggs,  thou  shalt  not  take 
the  dam  with  the  young.  But  thou  shalt  in  any 
wise  let  the  dam  go,  and  take  the  young  to  thee; 
that  it  may  be  well  with  thee,  and  that  thou 
mayest  prolong  thy  days. 

Deuteronomy,  22 

When  thou  shalt  besiege  a  city  a  long  time,  in 
making  war  against  it  to  take  it,  thou  shalt  not 
destroy  the  trees  thereof  by  forcing  an  ax  against 
them :  for  thou  mayest  eat  of  them,  and  thou  shalt 
not  cut  them  down  (for  the  tree  of  the  field  is 
man's  Hfe)  to  employ  them  in  the  siege.  Only  the 
trees  which  thou  knowest  that  they  be  not  trees 
for    meat,    thou    shalt    destrov    and    cut    them 


156  BIBLE  STORIES 

down;  and  thou  shalt  build  bulwarks  against 
the  city  that  maketh  war  with  thee,  until  it  be 
subdued. 

Deuteronomy,  20 

Thou  shalt  not  see  thy  brother's  ox  or  his  sheep 
go  astray,  and  hide  thyself  from  them :  thou  shalt 
in  any  case  bring  them  again  unto  thy  brother. 
And  if  thy  brother  be  not  nigh  unto  thee,  or  if 
thou  know  him  not,  then  thou  shalt  bring  it  unto 
thine  own  house,  and  it  shall  be  with  thee  until 
thy  brother  seek  after  it,  and  thou  shalt  restore  it 
to  him  again.  In  like  manner  shalt  thou  do  with 
his  ass;  and  so  shalt  thou  do  with  his  raiment;  and 
with  all  lost  thing  of  thy  brother's,  which  he  hath 
lost,  and  thou  hast  found,  shalt  thou  do  like- 
wise: thou  mayest  not  hide  thyself.  Thou  shalt 
not  see  thy  brother's  ass  or  his  ox  fall  down  by  the 
way,  and  hide  thyself  from  them:  thou  shalt 
surely  help  him  to  lift  them  up  again. 

Deuteronomy,  22 

If  thou  meet  thine  enemy's  ox  or  his  ass  going 
astray,  thou  shalt  surely  bring  it  back  to  him 
again.  If  thou  see  the  ass  of  him  that  hateth  thee 
lying  under  his  burden,  and  wouldost  forbear  to 
help  him,  thou  shalt  surely  help  with  him. 

Exodus,  23 


THE   GOLDEN   CALF  157 

Thou  shalt  not  hate  thy  brother  in  thine  heart. 

Thou  shalt  not  avenge,  nor  bear  any  grudge 
against  the  children  of  thy  people. 

But  thou  shalt  love  thy  neighbour  as  thyself: 
I  am  the  Lord. 

Leviticus,  19 

Read  "  The  Sermon  on  the  Mount"  Matthero,  chap.  5  and 
chaps.  6,  7;  and  "  The  Two  Commandments,"  Matthew,  chap. 
22,  verses  3Jf-W,  Mark,  chap.  12,  verses  28-3U ;  also,  "  The 
Rich  Young  Man,"  Mark,  chap.  10,  verses  17-31;  and  "  The 
Greatest  of  These,"  1  Corinthians,  chap.  13 

THE   GOLDEN   CALF 

And  when  the  people  saw  that  Moses  delayed 
to  come  down  out  of  the  mount,  the  people  gath- 
ered themselves  together  unto  Aaron,  and  said 
unto  him,  "Up,  make  us  gods,  which  shall  go 
before  us;  for  as  for  this  Moses,  the  man  that 
brought  us  up  out  of  the  land  of  Egypt,  we  wot 
not  what  is  become  of  him." 

And  Aaron  said  unto  them,  "Break  off  the 
golden  earrings,  which  are  in  the  ears  of  your 
wives,  of  your  sons,  and  of  your  daughters,  and 
bring  them  unto  me." 

And  all  the  people  brake  off  the  golden  earrings 
which  were  in  their  ears,  and  brought  them  unto 
Aaron.  And  he  received  them  at  their  hand,  and 
fashioned  it  with  a  graving  tool,  after  he  had 
made  it  a  molten  calf:  and  thev  said,  "These  be 


158  BIBLE   STORIES 

thy  gods,  O  Israel,  which  brought  thee  up  out  of 
the  land  of  Egypt."  And  when  Aaron  saw  it,  he 
built  an  altar  before  it;  and  Aaron  made  procla- 
mation, and  said,  "To  morrow  is  a  feast  to  the 
Lord." 

And  they  rose  up  early  on  the  morrow,  and 
offered  burnt  offerings,  and  brought  peace  offer- 
ings; and  the  people  sat  down  to  eat  and  to  drink; 
and  rose  up  to  play. 

And  the  Lord  said  unto  Moses,  "Go,  get  thee 
down;  for  thy  people,  which  thou  broughtest  out 
of  the  land  of  Egypt,  have  corrupted  themselves. 
They  have  turned  aside  quickly  out  of  the  way 
which  I  commanded  them.  They  have  made 
them  a  molten  calf,  and  have  worshipped  it,  and 
have  sacrificed  thereunto,  and  said,  'These  be  thy 
gods,  O  Israel,  which  have  brought  thee  up  out  of 
the  land  of  Egypt.'" 

And  the  Lord  said  unto  Moses,  "I  have  seen 
this  people,  and,  behold,  it  is  a  stiff  necked  people. 
Now  therefore  let  me  alone,  that  my  wrath  may 
wax  hot  against  them,  and  that  I  may  consume 
them:  and  I  will  make  of  thee  a  great  nation." 

And  Moses  besought  the  Lord  his  God,  and 
said,  "Lord,  why  doth  thy  wrath  wax  hot  against 
thy  people,  which  thou  hast  brought  forth  out  of 
the  land  of  Egypt  with  great  i)ower,  and  with  a 
mighty  hand?  Wherefore  should  the  Egyptians 
speak,  and  say,  'For  mischief  did  he  l)ring  ihem 


THE   GOLDEN   CALF  159 

out,  to  slay  them  in  the  mountains,  and  to  con- 
sume them,  from  the  face  of  the  earth?  '  Turn 
from  thy  fierce  wrath,  and  repent  of  this  evil 
against  thy  people.  Remember  Abraham,  Isaac, 
and  Israel,  thy  servants,  to  whom  thou  swarest 
by  thine  own  self,  and  saidst  unto  them,  'I  will 
multiply  your  seed  as  the  stars  of  heaven,  and  all 
this  land  that  I  have  spoken  of  will  I  give  unto 
your  seed,  and  they  shall  inherit  it  for  ever.'" 

And  the  Lord  repented  of  the  evil  which  he 
thought  to  do  unto  his  people. 

And  Moses  turned,  and  went  down  from  the 
mount,  and  the  two  tables  of  the  testimony  were 
in  his  hand.  The  tables  were  written  on  both 
their  sides ;  on  the  one  side  and  on  the  other  were 
they  written.  And  the  tables  were  the  work  of 
God,  and  the  writing  was  the  writing  of  God, 
graven  upon  the  tables. 

And  when  Joshua  heard  the  noise  of  the  people 
as  they  shouted,  he  said  unto  Moses,  "There  is  a 
noise  of  war  in  the  camp."  And  he  said,  "It  is 
not  the  voice  of  them  that  shout  for  mastery, 
neither  is  it  the  voice  of  them  that  cry  for  being 
overcome:  but  the  noise  of  them  that  sing  do  I 
hear." 

And  it  came  to  pass,  as  soon  as  he  came  nigh 
unto  the  camp,  that  he  saw  the  calf,  and  the  danc- 
ing: and  Moses'  anger  waxed  hot,  and  he  cast  the 
tables  out  of  his  hands,  and  brake  them  beneath 


160  BIBLE  STORIES 

the  mount.  And  he  took  the  calf  which  they  had 
made,  and  burnt  it  in  the  fire,  and  ground  it  to 
powder,  and  strewed  it  upon  the  water,  and  made 
the  children  of  Israel  drink  of  it. 

And  Moses  said  unto  Aaron,  "What  did  this 
people  unto  thee,  that  thou  hast  brought  so  great 
a  sin  upon  them?" 

And  Aaron  said,  "Let  not  the  anger  of  my  lord 
wax  hot.  Thou  knowest  the  people,  that  they  are 
set  on  mischief.  For  they  said  unto  me,  'Make  us 
gods,  which  shall  go  before  us:  for  as  for  this 
Moses,  the  man  that  brought  us  up  out  of  the 
land  of  Egypt,  we  wot  not  what  is  become  of  him.' 
And  I  said  unto  them,  'Whosoever  hath  any  gold, 
let  them  break  it  off.'  So  they  gave  it  me:  then  I 
cast  it  into  the  fire,  and  there  came  out  this  calf." 

And  when  Moses  saw  that  the  people  were 
naked;  (for  Aaron  had  made  them  naked  unto 
their  shame  among  their  enemies:)  then  Moses 
stood  in  the  gate  of  the  camp,  and  said,  "Who  is 
on  the  Lord's  side.''  let  him  come  unto  me."  And 
all  the  sons  of  Levi  gathered  themselves  together 
unto  him. 

And  he  said  unto  them,  "  Thus  saith  the  Lord 
God  of  Israel,  'Put  every  man  his  sword  by  his 
side,  and  go  in  and  out  from  gate  to  gate  through- 
out the  camp,  and  slay  every  man  his  brother, 
and  every  man  his  companion,  and  every  man  his 
neighbour.'" 


THE   GOLDEN   CALF  161 

And  the  children  of  Levi  did  according  to  the 
word  of  Moses:  and  there  fell  of  the  people  that 
day  about  three  thousand  men.  For  Moses  had 
said,  "Consecrate  yourselves  to  day  to  the  Lord, 
even  every  man  upon  his  son,  and  upon  his 
brother,  that  he  may  bestow  upon  you  a  bless- 
ing this  day." 

And  it  came  to  pass  on  the  morrow,  that  Moses 
said  unto  the  people,  "Ye  have  sinned  a  great 
sin.  And  now  I  will  go  up  unto  the  Lord;  perad- 
venture  I  shall  make  an  atonement  for  your  sin." 

And  Moses  returned  unto  the  Lord,  and  said, 
"  Oh,  this  people  have  sinned  a  great  sin,  and  have 
made  them  gods  of  gold.  Yet  now,  if  thou  wilt 
forgive  their  sin  — ;  and  if  not,  blot  me,  I  pray 
thee,  out  of  thy  book  which  thou  hast  written." 

And  the  Lord  said  unto  Moses,  "Whosoever 
hath  sinned  against  me,  him  will  I  blot  out  of  my 
book.  Therefore  now  go,  lead  the  people  unto  the 
place  of  which  I  have  spoken  unto  thee:  behold, 
mine  Angel  shall  go  before  thee:  nevertheless  in 
the  day  when  I  visit  I  will  visit  their  sin  upon 
them." 

And  the  Lord  plagued  the  people,  because  they 
had  made  the  calf,  which  Aaron  made. 

Exodus,  32 

For  about  "  The  Vail  on  Moses'  Face,"  see  Exodus,  chaps. 
33,  34,  also  2  Corinthians,  chap.  3 


162  BIBLE   STORIES 

THE  GRAPES  OF  ESHCOL 

And  the  Lord  spake  unto  Moses,  saying,  "Send 
thou  men,  that  they  may  search  the  land  of  Ca- 
naan, which  I  give  unto  the  children  of  Israel :  of 
every  tribe  of  their  fathers  shall  ye  send  a  man, 
every  one  a  ruler  among  them." 

And  Moses  by  the  commandment  of  the  Lord 
sent  them  from  the  wilderness  of  Paran :  all  those 
men  were  heads  of  the  children  of  Israel. 

And  Moses  sent  them  to  spy  out  the  land  of 
Canaan,  and  said  unto  them,  "Get  you  up  this 
way  southward,  and  go  up  into  the  mountain': 
and  see  the  land,  what  it  is;  and  the  people  that 
dwelleth  therein,  whether  they  be  strong  or  weak, 
few  or  many;  and  what  the  land  is  that  they 
dwell  in,  whether  it  be  good  or  bad;  and  what 
cities  they  be  that  they  dwell  in,  whether  in  tents, 
or  in  strong  holds;  and  what  the  land  is,  whether 
it  be  fat  or  lean,  whether  there  be  wood  therein, 
or  not.  And  be  ye  of  good  courage,  and  bring  of 
the  fruit  of  the  land."  Now  the  time  was  the  time 
of  the  firstripe  grapes. 

So  they  went  up,  and  searched  the  land  from 
the  wilderness  of  Zin  unto  Rehob,  as  men  come  to 
Hamath.  And  they  ascended  by  the  south,  and 
came  unto  Hebron;  where  the  children  of  Anak 
were. 

And  they  came  unto  the  brook  of  Eshcol,  and 


GIANTS,   THE   SONS  OF  ANAK     1G3 

cut  down  from  thence  a  branch  with  one  cluster 
of  grapes,  and  they  bare  it  between  two  upon  a 
staff;  and  they  brought  of  the  pomegranates,  and 
of  the  figs.  The  place  was  called  the  brook  Eshcol, 
(that  is  a  cluster)  because  of  the  cluster  of  grapes 
which  the  children  of  Israel  cut  down  from  thence. 
And  they  returned  from  searching  of  the  land 
after  forty  days. 

Numbers,  13 

Read  these  stories  also,  "How  They  Built  the  Tabernacle" 
Exodus,  chaps.  35-40;  Xumbers,  chap.  9,  verses  15-23;  "  The 
Camp  Blessing,"  Numbers,  chap.  6,  verses  22-27;  "What 
Great  Feast  Days  They  Were  to  Keep,"  Leviticus,  23;  "  The 
Coming  of  the  Quails,"  Numbers, chap.  11;  "The  Punishment 
of  Miriam,"  Numbers,  chap.  12 


THE  GIANTS,  THE  SONS  OF  ANAK 

And  they  went  and  came  to  Moses,  and  to 
Aaron,  and  to  all  the  congregation  of  the  children 
of  Israel,  and  brought  back  word  unto  them,  and 
unto  all  the  congregation,  and  shewed  them  the 
fruit  of  the  land. 

And  they  told  him,  and  said,  "We  came  unto 
the  land  whither  thou  sentest  us,  and  surely  it 
floweth  with  milk  and  honey;  and  this  is  the  fruit 
of  it.  Nevertheless  the  people  be  strong  that 
dwell  in  the  land,  and  the  cities  are  walled,  and 
very  great.  And  moreover  we  saw  the  children 
of  Anak  there.  The  Amalekites  dwell  in  the  land 


164  BIBLE   STORIES 

of  the  south.  And  the  Hittites,  and  the  Jebusites, 
and  the  Amorites,  dwell  in  the  mountains.  And 
the  Canaanites  dwell  by  the  sea,  and  by  the  coast 
of    Jordan." 

And  Caleb  stilled  the  people  before  Moses,  and 
said,  "Let  us  go  up  at  once,  and  possess  it;  for  we 
are  well  able  to  overcome  it." 

But  the  men  that  went  up  with  him  said,  "We 
be  not  able  to  go  up  against  the  people;  for  they 
are  stronger  than  we." 

And  they  brought  up  an  evil  report  of  the  land 
which  they  had  searched  unto  the  children  of 
Israel,  saying,  "  The  land,  through  which  we  have 
gone  to  search  it,  is  a  land  that  eateth  up  the  in- 
habitants thereof;  and  all  the  people  that  we  saw 
in  it  are  men  of  a  great  stature.  And  there  we 
saw  the  giants,  the  sons  of  Anak.  And  we  were  in 
our  own  sight  as  grasshoppers,  and  so  we  were  in 
their  sight." 

Numbers,  13 

HOW  THE  PEOPLE  REPROACHED 
GOD  AND  WERE  PUNISHED 

And  all  the  congregation  lifted  up  their  voice, 
and  cried;  and  the  people  wept  that  night.  And 
all  the  children  of  Israel  murmured  against  Moses 
and  against  Aaron:  and  the  whole  congregation 
said  unto  them,  "Would  God  that  we  had  died  in 


THE  PEOPLE  REPROACH  GOD  165 

the  land  of  Egypt!  or  would  God  we  had  died  in 
this  wilderness!  And  wherefore  hath  the  Lord 
brought  us  unto  this  land,  to  fall  by  the  sword, 
that  our  wives  and  our  children  should  be  a  prey? 
were  it  not  better  for  us  to  return  into  Egj^pt?" 
And  they  said  one  to  another,  "Let  us  make  a 
captain,  and  let  us  return  into  Egypt." 

Then  Moses  and  Aaron  fell  on  their  faces  be- 
fore all  the  assembly  of  the  congregation  of  the 
children  of  Israel. 

And  Joshua  the  son  of  Nun,  and  Caleb  the  son 
of  Jephunneh,  which  were  of  them  that  searched 
the  land,  rent  their  clothes.  And  they  spake  unto 
all  the  company  of  the  children  of  Israel,  saying, 
"The  land,  which  we  passed  through  to  search  it, 
is  an  exceeding  good  land.  If  the  Lord  delight  in 
us,  then  he  will  bring  us  into  this  land,  and  give  it 
us;  a  land  which  floweth  with  milk  and  honey. 
Only  rebel  not  ye  against  the  Lord,  neither  fear 
ye  the  people  of  the  land;  for  they  are  bread  for 
us:  their  defence  is  departed  from  them,  and  the 
Lord  is  with  us:  fear  them  not." 

But  all  the  congregation  bade  stone  them  with 
stones.  And  the  glory  of  the  Lord  appeared  in  the 
tabernacle  of  the  congregation  before  all  the  chil- 
dren of  Israel. 

And  the  Lord  said  unto  Moses,  "  How  long  will 
this  people  provoke  me.''  and  how  long  will  it  be 
ere  they  believe  me,  for  all  the  signs  which  I  have 


166  BIBLE   STORIES 

shewed  among  them?  I  will  smite  them  with  the 
pestilence,  and  disinherit  them,  and  will  make  of 
thee  a  greater  nation  and  mightier  than  they." 

And  Moses  said  unto  the  Lord,  "Then  the 
Egyptians  shall  hear  it,  (for  thou  broughtest  up 
this  people  in  thy  might  from  among  them;)  and 
they  will  tell  it  to  the  inhabitants  of  this  land :  for 
they  have  heard  that  thou  Lord  art  among  this 
people,  that  thou  Lord  art  seen  face  to  face,  and 
that  thy  cloud  standeth  over  them,  and  that  thou 
goest  before  them,  by  daytime  in  a  pillar  of  a 
cloud,  and  in  a  pillar  of  fire  by  night. 

"Now  if  thou  shalt  kill  all  this  people  as  one 
man,  then  the  nations  which  have  heard  the  fame 
of  thee  will  speak,  saying,  '  Because  the  Lord  was 
not  able  to  bring  this  people  into  the  land  which 
he  sware  unto  them,  therefore  he  hath  slain  them 
in  the  wilderness.' 

"And  now,  I  beseech  thee,  let  the  power  of  my 
Lord  be  great,  according  as  thou  hast  spoken, 
saying,  'The  Lord  is  longsuffering,  and  of  great 
mercy,  forgiving  iniquity  and  transgression,  and 
by  no  means  clearing  the  guilty,  visiting  the  in- 
iquity of  the  fathers  upon  the  children  unto  the 
third  and  fourth  generation.' 

"Pardon,  I  beseech  thee,  the  iniquity  of  this 
people  according  unto  the  greatness  of  thy  mercy, 
and  as  thou  hast  forgiven  this  people,  from  Egypt 
even  until  now." 


THE  PEOPLE  REPROACH  GOD  167 

And  the  Lord  said,  "  I  have  pardoned  according 
to  thy  word.  But  as  truly  as  I  live,  all  the  earth 
shall  be  filled  with  the  glory  of  the  Lord. 

"Because  all  those  men  which  have  seen  my 
glory,  and  my  miracles,  which  I  did  in  Egypt  and 
in  the  wilderness,  and  have  tempted  me  now  these 
ten  times,  and  have  not  hearkened  to  my  voice; 
surely  they  shall  not  see  the  land  which  I  sware 
unto  their  fathers,  neither  shall  any  of  them  that 
provoked  me  see  it.  But  my  servant  Caleb,  be- 
cause he  had  another  spirit  with  him,  and  hath 
followed  me  fully,  him  will  I  bring  into  the  land 
whereinto  he  went;  and  his  seed  shall  possess  it. 
To  morrow  turn  you,  and  get  you  into  the  wilder- 
ness by  the  way  of  the  Red  sea." 

And  the  Lord  spake  unto  Moses  and  unto 
Aaron,  saying,  "How  long  shall  I  bear  with  this 
evil  congregation,  which  murmur  against  me.'  I 
have  heard  the  murmurings  of  the  children  of 
Israel,  which  they  murmur  against  me.  Say  unto 
them,  'As  truly  as  I  live,'  saith  the  Lord,  'as  ye 
have  spoken  in  mine  ears,  so  will  I  do  to  you. 
Your  carcasses  shall  fall  in  this  wilderness;  and  all 
that  were  numbered  of  you,  according  to  your 
whole  number,  from  twenty  years  old  and  up- 
ward, which  have  murnuired  against  me.  Doubt- 
less ye  shall  not  come  into  the  land,  concerning 
which  I  sware  to  make  you  dwell  therein,  save 
Caleb  the  son  of  Jephunneh,  and  Joshua  the  son 


168  BIBLE   STORIES 

of  Nun.  But  your  little  ones,  which  ye  said 
should  be  a  prey,  them  will  I  bring  in,  and  they 
shall  know  the  land  which  ye  have  despised.  But 
as  for  you,  your  carcasses,  they  shall  fall  in  this 
wilderness.  And  your  children  shall  wander  in 
the  wilderness  forty  years,  until  your  carcasses  be 
wasted  in  the  wilderness.  After  the  number  of  the 
days  in  which  ye  searched  the  land,  even  forty 
days,  each  day  for  a  year,  shall  ye  bear  your  in- 
iquities, even  forty  years.'" 

Numbers,  14 

Read  "  What  Happened  to  the  Men  Who  Brought  the  False 
Report,"  Number,')',  chap,  i-},  verses  3G-^o;  also  "  The  Strange 
Fire,"  Leviticus,  chap.  10,  verses  1-7;  "Ilotv  the  Earth  Swal- 
lowed Korah  and  his  Men,"  Numbers,  chap,  16;  and  chap.  26, 
verses  9-11;  "How  Aaron's  Rod  Grew  Almonds,"  Numbers, 
chap.  17 

HOW  MOSES  DISOBEYED  GOD 

Then  came  the  children  of  Israel,  even  the 
whole  congregation,  into  the  desert  of  Zin  in  the 
first  month:  and  the  people  abode  in  Kadesh;  and 
Miriam  died  there,  and  was  buried  there. 

And  there  was  no  water  for  the  congregation: 
and  they  gathered  themselves  together  against 
Moses  and  against  Aaron. 

And  the  pcHiplc  chode  with  Moses,  and  spake, 
saying,  "  Would  Clod  that  we  had  died  when  our 
brethren  died  before  the  Lord!  And  why  have  ye 


HOW  MOSES  DISOBEYED   GOD    169 

brought  up  the  congregation  of  the  Lord  into  this 
wilderness,  that  we  and  our  cattle  should  die  there? 
And  wherefore  have  ye  made  us  to  come  up  out 
of  Egypt,  to  bring  us  in  unto  this  evil  place?  it 
is  no  place  of  seed,  or  of  figs,  or  of  vines,  or  of 
pomegranates;  neither  is  there  any  water  to 
drink." 

And  Moses  and  Aaron  went  from  the  presence 
of  the  assembly  unto  the  door  of  the  tabernacle  of 
the  congregation,  and  they  fell  upon  their  faces: 
and  the  glory  of  the  Lord  appeared  unto  them. 

And  the  Lord  spake  unto  Moses,  saying,  "  Take 
the  rod,  and  gather  thou  the  assembly  together, 
thou,  and  Aaron  thy  brother,  and  speak  ye  unto 
the  rock  before  their  eyes;  and  it  shall  give  forth 
his  water,  and  thou  shalt  bring  forth  to  them 
water  out  of  the  rock.  So  thou  shalt  give  the  con- 
gregation and  their  beasts  drink." 

And  Moses  took  the  rod  from  before  the  Lord, 
as  he  commanded  him.  And  Moses  and  Aaron 
gathered  the  congregation  together  before  the 
rock,  and  he  said  unto  them,  "Hear  now,  ye  reb- 
els; must  we  fetch  you  water  out  of  this  rock?" 

And  Moses  lifted  up  his  hand,  and  with  his  rod 
he  smote  the  rock  twice.  And  the  water  came  out 
abundantly,  and  the  congregation  drank,  and 
their  beasts  also. 

And  the  Lord  spake  unto  Moses  and  Aaron, 
**  Because  ye  believed  me  not,  to  sanctify  me  in 


170  BIBLE  STORIES 

the  eyes  of  the  children  of  Israel,  therefore  y* 
shall  not  bring  this  congregation  into  the  land 
which  I  have  given  them," 

This  is  the  water  of  Meribah ;  because  the  chil- 
dren of  Israel  strove  with  the  Lord,  and  he  was 
sanctified  in  them. 

Numbers,  20 

For  stories  about  "The  Rock"  read:  "lie  Is  the  Rock," 
Deuteronom]/,  chap.  32;  "  The  House  on  the  Rock,"  Matthew, 
chap.  7,  verses  2If~29;  "  The  Rock  of  Ages,"  Matthew,  chap. 
16,  verses  13-20;  and  chap.  IS,  verses  lS-20,  1  Peter,  chap.  2; 
"  The  Sjyiritual  Rock,"  1  Corinthians,  chap.  10,  verses  1-6 

THE  FIERY  SERPENTS 

And  they  journeyed  from  mount  Hor  by  the 
way  of  the  Red  sea,  to  compass  the  land  of  Edom ; 
and  the  soul  of  the  people  was  much  discouraged 
because  of  the  way.  And  the  people  spake  against 
God,  and  against  Moses,  "Wherefore  have  ye 
brought  us  up  out  of  Egypt  to  die  in  the  wilder- 
ness? for  there  is  no  bread,  neither  is  there 
any  water;  and  our  soul  loatheth  this  light 
bread." 

And  the  Lord  sent  fiery  serpents  among  the 
people,  and  they  bit  the  people;  and  much  people 
of  Israel  died. 

Therefore  the  people  came  to  Moses,  and  said, 
"We  have  sinned,  for  we  have  spoken  against  the 
Lord,  and  against  thee;  pray  unto  the  Lord,  that 


BALAAM'S  ASS  THAT   SPOKE        171 

he  take  away  the  serpents  from  us."   And  Moses 
prayed  for  the  people. 

And  the  Lord  said  unto  Moses,  "Make  thee  a 
fiery  serpent,  and  set  it  upon  a  pole:  and  it  shall 
come  to  pass,  that  every  one  that  is  bitten,  when 
he  looketh  upon  it  shall  live." 

And  Moses  made  a  serpent  of  brass,  and  put  it 
upon  a  pole,  and  it  came  to  pass,  that  if  a  serpent 
had  bitten  any  man,  when  he  beheld  the  serpent 
of  brass,  he  lived. 

Numbers,  21 

For  more  about  the  Brazen  Serpent,  read:  "  What  Happened 
to  the  Serpent,''  2  Kings,  chap.  IS,  verses  1-6;  also,  "As  Moses 
Lifted  up  the  Serpent,"  John,  chap.  3,  verses  lJt.-21 


BALAAM'S  ASS  THAT  SPOKE 

And  the  children  of  Israel  set  forward,  and 
pitched  in  the  plains  of  Moab  on  this  side  Jordan 
by  Jericho. 

And  Balak  the  son  of  Zippor  saw  all  that  Israel 
had  done  to  the  Amorites.  And  Moab  was  sore 
afraid  of  the  people,  because  they  were  many: 
and  Moab  was  distressed  because  of  the  children 
of  Israel.  And  Moab  said  unto  the  elders  of  Mid- 
ian,  "Now  shall  this  company  lick  up  all  that  are 
round  about  us,  as  the  ox  licketh  up  the  grass  of 
the  field." 
'    And  Balak  the  son  of  Zippor  was  king  of  the 


172  BIBLE   STORIES 

Moabites  at  that  time.  He  sent  messengers  there- 
fore unto  Balaam  the  son  of  Beor  to  Pethor, 
which  is  by  tlie  river  of  the  land  of  the  children  of 
his  people,  to  call  him,  saying,  "  Behold,  there  is  a 
people  come  out  from  Egypt.  Behold,  they  cover 
the  face  of  the  earth,  and  they  abide  over  against 
me.  Come  now  therefore,  I  pray  thee,  curse  me 
this  people;  for  they  are  too  mighty  for  me.  Per- 
ad venture  I  shall  prevail,  that  we  may  smite 
them,  and  that  I  may  drive  them  out  of  the  land. 
For  I  wot  that  he  whom  thou  blessest  is  blessed, 
and  he  whom  thou  cursest  is  cursed." 

And  the  elders  of  Moab  and  the  elders  of  Mid- 
ian  departed  with  the  rewards  of  divination  in 
their  hand;  and  they  came  unto  Balaam,  and 
spake  unto  him  the  words  of  Balak.  And  he  said 
unto  them,  "  Lodge  here  this  night,  and  I  will 
bring  you  word  again,  as  the  Lord  shall  speak  unto 
me."  And  the  princes  of  Moab  abode  with 
Balaam. 

And  God  came  unto  Balaam,  and  said,  "What 
men  are  these  with  thee.'^" 

And  Balaam  said  unto  God,  "Balak  the  son  of 
Zippor,  king  of  Moab,  hath  sent  unto  me,  saying, 
*  Behold,  there  is  a  people  come  out  of  Egypt, 
which  covereth  the  face  of  the  earth.  Come  now, 
curse  me  them.  Peradventure  I  shall  be  able  to 
overcome  them,  and  drive  them  out.'" 

And  God  said  unto  Balaam,  "Thou  shalt  not 


BALAAM'S   ASS  THAT   SPOKE      173 

go  with  them;  thou  shalt  not  curse  the  people: 
for  they  are  blessed." 

And  Balaam  rose  up  in  the  morning,  and  said 
unto  the  princes  of  Balak,  "Get  you  into  your 
land :  for  the  Lord  refuseth  to  give  me  leave  to  go 
with  you."  And  the  princes  of  Moab  rose  up,  and 
they  went  unto  Balak,  and  said,  "  Balaam  re- 
fuseth to  come  with  us." 

And  Balak  sent  yet  again  princes,  more,  and 
more  honourable  than  they.  And  they  came  to 
Balaam,  and  said  to  him,  "Thus  saith  Balak  the 
son  of  Zippor,  'Let  nothing,  I  pray  thee,  hinder 
thee  from  coming  unto  me.  For  I  will  promote 
thee  unto  very  great  honour,  and  I  will  do  what- 
soever thou  sayest  unto  me.  Come  therefore,  I 
pray  thee,  curse  me  this  people.'" 

And  Balaam  answered  and  said  unto  the  serv- 
ants of  Balak,  "If  Balak  would  give  me  his 
house  full  of  silver  and  gold,  I  cannot  go  beyond 
the  word  of  the  Lord  my  God,  to  do  less  or  more. 
Now  therefore,  I  pray  you,  tarry  ye  also  here  this 
night,  that  I  may  know  what  the  Lord  will  say 
unto  me  more." 

And  God  came  unto  Balaam  at  night,  and  said 
unto  him,  "If  the  men  come  to  call  thee,  rise  up, 
and  go  with  them ;  but  yet  the  word  which  I  shall 
say  unto  thee,  that  shalt  thou  do." 

And  Balaam  rose  up  in  the  morning,  and  sad- 
dled his  ass,  and  went  with  the  princes  of  Moab. 


174  BIBLE  STORIES 

And  God's  anger  was  kindled  because  he  went. 
And  the  angel  of  the  Lord  stood  in  the  way  for  an 
adversary  against  him.  Now  he  was  riding  upon 
his  ass,  and  his  two  servants  were  with  him. 
And  the  ass  saw  the  angel  of  the  Lord  standing  in 
the  way,  and  his  sword  drawn  in  his  hand.  And  the 
ass  turned  aside  out  of  the  way,  and  went  into 
the  field.  And  Balaam  smote  the  ass,  to  turn  her 
into  the  way. 

But  the  angel  of  the  Lord  stood  in  a  path  of  the 
vineyards,  a  wall  being  on  this  side,  and  a  wall  on 
that  side.  And  when  the  ass  saw  the  angel  of  the 
Lord,  she  thrust  herself  unto  the  wall,  and  crushed 
Balaam's  foot  against  the  wall:  and  he  smote  her 
again. 

And  the  angel  of  the  Lord  went  further,  and 
stood  in  a  narrow  place,  where  was  no  way  to 
turn  either  to  the  right  hand  or  to  the  left.  And 
when  the  ass  saw  the  angel  of  the  Lord,  she  fell 
down  under  Balaam:  and  Balaam's  anger  was 
kindled,  and  he  smote  the  ass  with  a  staff. 

And  the  Lord  opened  the  mouth  of  the  ass,  and 
she  said  unto  Balaam,  "What  have  I  done  unto 
thee,  that  thou  hast  smitten  me  these  three 
times?"  And  Balaam  said  unto  the  ass,  "Because 
thou  hast  mocked  me.  I  would  there  were  a  sword 
in  mine  hand,  for  now  would  I  kill  thee."  And 
the  ass  said  unto  Balaam,  "Am  not  I  thine  ass, 
upon  which  thou  hast  ridden  ever  since  I  was 


BALAAM'S  ASS  THAT   SPOKE      175 

thine  unto  this  day?  was  I  ever  wont  to  do  so  unto 
thee?"   And  he  said,  "Nay." 

Then  the  Lord  opened  the  eyes  of  Balaam,  and 
he  saw  the  angel  of  the  Lord  standing  in  the  way, 
and  his  sword  drawn  in  his  hand:  and  he  bowed 
down  his  head,  and  fell  flat  on  his  face. 

And  the  angel  of  the  Lord  said  unto  him, 
"Wherefore  hast  thou  smitten  thine  ass  these 
three  times?  Behold,  I  went  out  to  withstand 
thee,  because  thy  way  is  perverse  before  me.  And 
the  ass  saw  me,  and  turned  from  me  these  three 
times.  Unless  she  had  turned  from  me,  surely 
now  also  I  had  slain  thee,  and  saved  her  alive." 

And  Balaam  said  unto  the  angel  of  the  Lord,  "  I 
have  sinned ;  for  I  knew  not  that  thou  stoodest  in 
the  way  against  me.  Now  therefore,  if  it  displease 
thee,  I  will  get  me  back  again." 

And  the  angel  of  the  Lord  said  unto  Balaam, 
"Go  with  the  men:  but  only  the  word  that  I  shall 
speak  unto  thee,  that  thou  shalt  speak."  So  Ba- 
laam went  with  the  princes  of  Balak. 

Numbers,  22 

For  other  stories  about  Balaam,  read:  "How  Balaam  Wa^ 
Called  to  Curse  Israel,"  Numbers,  chap.  22,  verses  30-Jfl,  and 
chaps.  23  and  24^;  also  "  What  Happened  to  Balaam,"  Num- 
bers, chap.  31,  verses  1-8 


176  BIBLE   STORIES 

SOINIE  OF  THE   WORDS  MOSES   SPAKE 
TO  THE   CHILDREN   OF  ISRAEL 

Take  ye  therefore  good  heed  unto  yourselves; 
for  ye  saw  no  manner  of  similitude  on  the  day 
that  the  Lord  spake  unto  you  in  Horeb  out  of 
the  midst  of  the  fire: 

Lest  ye  corrupt  yourselves,  and  make  you  a 
graven  image,  the  similitude  of  any  figure,  the 
likeness  of  male  or  female,  the  likeness  of  any 
beast  that  is  on  the  earth,  the  likeness  of  any 
winged  fowl  that  flieth  in  the  air,  the  likeness  of 
any  thing  that  creepeth  on  the  ground,  the  like- 
ness of  any  fish  that  is  in  the  waters  beneath  the 
earth. 

And  lest  thou  lift  up  thine  eyes  unto  heaven, 
and  when  thou  seest  the  sun,  and  the  moon,  and 
the  stars,  even  all  the  host  of  heaven,  shouldest  be 
driven  to  worship  them,  and  serve  them,  which 
the  Lord  thy  God  hath  divided  unto  all  nations 
under  the  whole  heaven. 

Take  heed  unto  yourselves,  lest  ye  forget  the 
covenant  of  the  Lord  your  God,  which  he  made 
with  you,  and  make  you  a  graven  image,  or  the 
likeness  of  any  thing,  which  the  Lord  thy  God 
hath  forbidden  thee. 


THE  WORDS  OF  MOSES  177 

For  ask  now  of  the  days  that  are  past,  which 
were  before  thee,  since  the  day  that  God  created 
man  upon  the  earth,  and  ask  from  the  one  side  of 
heaven  unto  the  other,  whether  there  hath  been 
any  such  thing  as  this  great  thing  is,  or  hath  been 
heard  Hke  it? 

Did  ever  people  hear  the  voice  of  God  speaking 
out  of  the  midst  of  the  fire,  as  thou  hast  heard, 
and  live? 

Or  hath  God  assayed  to  go  and  take  him  a  na- 
tion from  the  midst  of  another  nation,  by  temp- 
tations, by  signs,  and  by  wonders,  and  by  war, 
and  by  a  mighty  hand,  and  by  a  stretched  out 
arm,  and  by  great  terrors,  according  to  all  that 
the  Lord  your  God  did  for  you  in  Egypt  before 
your  eyes? 

"When  the  Lord  thy  God  shall  bring  thee  into 
the  land  whither  thou  goest  to  possess  it,  and  hath 
cast  out  many  nations  before  thee,  the  Hittites, 
and  the  Girgashites,  and  the  Amorites,  and  the 
Canaanites,  and  the  Perizzites,  and  the  Hivites, 
and  the  Jebusites,  seven  nations  greater  and 
mightier  than  thou:  and  when  the  Lord  thy  God 
shall  deliver  them  before  thee;  thou  shalt  smite 
them,  and  utterly  destroy  them;  thou  shalt  make 
no  covenant  with  them,  nor  shew  mercy  unto 
them. 

Neither  shalt  thou  make  marriages  with  them; 


178  BIBLE   STORIES 

thy  daughter  thou  shalt  not  give  unto  his  son,  nor 
his  daughter  shalt  thou  take  unto  thy  son.  For 
they  will  turn  away  thy  son  from  following  me, 
that  they  may  serve  other  gods.  So  will  the  anger 
of  the  Lord  be  kindled  against  you,  and  destroy 
thee  suddenly. 

But  thus  shall  ye  deal  with  them;  ye  shall  de- 
stroy their  altars,  and  break  down  their  images, 
and  cut  down  their  groves,  and  burn  their  graven 
images  with  fire. 

The  land  is  defiled:  therefore  I  do  visit  the  in- 
iquity thereof  upon  it,  and  the  land  itself  vomiteth 
out  her  inhabitants.  Ye  shall  therefore  keep  my 
statutes  and  my  judgments,  and  shall  not  commit 
any  of  these  abominations;  neither  any  of  your 
own  nation,  nor  any  stranger  that  sojourneth 
among  you :  (for  all  these  abominations  have  the 
men  of  the  land  done,  which  were  before  you,  and 
the  land  is  defiled;)  that  the  land  spew  not  you 
out  also,  when  ye  defile  it,  as  it  spewed  out  the 
nations  that  were  before  you. 

For  thou  art  an  holy  people  unto  the  Lord  thy 
God:  the  Lord  thy  God  hath  chosen  thee  to  be  a 
special  peojile  unto  himself,  above  all  peo])le  that 
are  upon  the  face  of  the  earth.  The  Lord  did  not 
set  his  love  upon  you,  nor  choose  you,  because  ye 
were  more  in  number  than  any  people;  for  ye 


THE   WORDS  OF  MOSES  179 

were  the  fewest  of  all  people.  But  because  the 
Lord  loved  you,  and  because  he  would  keep  the 
oath  which  he  had  sworn  unto  your  fathers,  hath 
the  Lord  brought  you  out  with  a  mighty  hand, 
and  redeemed  you  out  of  the  house  of  bondmen, 
from  the  hand  of  Pharaoh  king  of  Egypt. 

0     . 

Therefore  shall  ye  keep  all  the  commandments 
which  I  command  you  this  day,  that  ye  may  be 
strong,  and  go  in  and  possess  the  land,  whither  ye 
go  to  possess  it;  and  that  ye  may  prolong  your  days 
in  the  land,  which  the  Lord  sware  unto  your 
fathers  to  give  unto  them  and  to  their  seed,  a  land 
that  floweth  with  milk  and  honey. 

For  the  land,  whither  thou  goest  in  to  possess 
it,  is  not  as  the  land  of  Egypt,  from  whence  ye 
came  out,  where  thou  sowedst  thy  seed,  and 
watered st  it  with  thy  foot,  as  a  garden  of  herbs. 

But  the  land,  whither  ye  go  to  possess  it,  is  a 
land  of  hills  and  valleys,  and  drinketh  water  of 
the  rain  of  heaven:  a  land  which  the  Lord  thy 
God  careth  for.  The  eyes  of  the  Lord  thy  God  are 
always  upon  it,  from  the  beginning  of  the  year 
even  unto  the  end  of  the  year. 

When  thou  art  come  unto  the  land  which  the 
Lord  thy  God  giveth  thee,  and  shalt  possess  it,  and 
shalt  dwell  therein,  and  shalt  say,  "  I  will  set  a  king 
over  me,  like  as  all  the  nations  that  are  about  me; " 


180  BIBLE   STORIES 

thou  shalt  in  any  wise  set  him  king  over  thee, 
whom  the  Lord  thy  God. shall  choose.  One  from 
among  thy  brethren  shalt  thou  set  king  over  thee : 
thou  mayest  not  set  a  stranger  over  thee,  which  is 
not  thy  brother.  But  he  shall  not  multiply  horses 
to  himself,  nor  cause  the  people  to  return  to 
Egypt,  to  the  end  that  he^should  multiply  horses: 
forasmuch  as  the  Lord  hath  said  unto  you,  "Ye 
shall  henceforth  return  no  more  that  way." 

Neither  shall  he  multiply  wives  to  himself,  that 
his  heart  turn  not  away.  Neither  shall  he  greatly 
multiply  to  himself  silver  and  gold. 

And  it  shall  be,  when  he  sitteth  upon  the  throne 
of  his  kingdom,  that  he  shall  write  him  a  copy  of 
this  law  in  a  book  out  of  that  which  is  before  the 
priests  the  Levites.  And  it  shall  be  with  him,  and 
he  shall  read  therein  all  the  days  of  his  life:  that 
he  may  learn  to  fear  the  Lord  his  God,  to  keep  all 
the  words  of  this  law  and  these  statutes,  to  do 
them:  that  his  heart  be  not  lifted  up  above  his 
brethren,  and  that  he  turn  not  aside  from  the 
commandment,  to  the  right  hand,  or  to  the  left: 
to  the  end  that  he  may  prolong  his  days  in  his 
kingdom,  he,  and  his  children,  in  the  midst  of 
Israel. 

If  thou  wilt  not  observe  to  do  all  the  words 
of  this  law  that  are  written  in  this  book,  that 
thou  mayest  fear  this  glorious  and  fearful  name, 


THE   WORDS   OF  MOSES  181 

THE  LORD  THY  GOD;  then  the  Lord  will 
make  thy  plagues  wonderful,  and  the  plagues  of 
thy  seed,  even  great  plagues,  and  of  long  continu- 
ance, and  sore  sicknesses,  and  of  long  continuance. 

Moreover  he  will  bring  upon  thee  all  the  dis-"" 
eases  of  Egypt,  which  thou  wast  afraid  of;  and 
they  shall  cleave  unto  thee.  Also  every  sickness, 
and  every  plague,  which  is  not  written  in  the 
book  of  this  law,  them  will  the  Lord  bring  upon 
thee,  until  thou  be  destroyed.  And  ye  shall  be 
left  few  in  number,  whereas  ye  were  as  the  stars  of 
heaven  for  multitude;  because  thou  wouldest  not 
obey  the  voice  of  the  Lord  thy  God. 

And  it  shall  come  to  pass,  that  as  the  Lord  re- 
joiced over  you  to  do  you  good,  and  to  multiply 
you;  so  the  Lord  will  rejoice  over  you  to  destroy 
you,  and  to  bring  you  to  nought;  and  ye  shall  be 
plucked  from  off  the  land  whither  thou  goest  to 
possess  it.  And  the  Lord  shall  scatter  thee  among 
all  people,  from  the  one  end  of  the  earth  even  unto 
the  other;  and  there  thou  shalt  serve  other  gods, 
which  neither  thou  nor  thy  fathers  have  known, 
even  wood  and  stone. 

And  among  these  nations  shalt  thou  find  no 
ease,  neither  shall  the  sole  of  thy  foot  have  rest: 
but  the  Lord  shall  give  thee  there  a  trembling 
heart,  and  failing  of  eyes,  and  sorrow  of  mind. 
And  thy  life  shall  hang  in  doubt  before  thee;  and 
thou  shalt  fear  day  and  night,  and  shalt  have 


182  BIBLE   STORIES 

none  assurance  of  thy  life.  In  the  morning  thou 
shalt  say,  "Would  God  it  were  even!"  and  at 
even  thou  shalt  say,  "Would  God  it  were  morn- 
ing!" for  the  fear  of  thine  heart  wherewith  thou 
shalt  fear,  and  for  the  sight  of  thine  eyes  which 
thou  shalt  see. 

And  it  shall  come  to  pass,  when  all  these  things 
are  come  upon  thee,  the  blessing  and  the  curse, 
which  I  have  set  before  thee,  and  thou  shalt  call 
them  to  mind  among  all  the  nations,  whither  the 
Lord  thy  God  hath  driven  thee,  and  shalt  return 
unto  the  Lord  thy  God,  and  shalt  obey  his  voice 
according  to  all  that  I  command  thee  this  day, 
thou  and  thy  children,  with  all  thine  heart,  and 
with  all  thy  soul;  that  then  the  Lord  thy  God 
will  turn  thy  captivity,  and  have  compassion 
upon  thee,  and  will  return  and  gather  thee  from 
all  the  nations,  whither  the  Lord  thy  God  hath 
scattered  thee.  If  any  of  thine  be  driven  out  unto 
the  outmost  parts  of  heaven,  from  thence  will  the 
Lord  thy  God  gather  thee,  and  from  thence  will 
he  fetch  thee. 

And  the  Lord  thy  God  will  bring  thee  into  the 
land  which  thy  fathers  possessed,  and  thou  shalt 
possess  it;  and  he  will  do  thee  good,  and  multiply 
thee  above  thy  fathers.  And  the  Tvord  tliy  CJod 
will  circumcise  thine  heart,  and  the  heart  of  thy 
seed,  to  love  the  Lord  thy  God  with  all  thine 


THE   WORDS   OF  MOSES  183 

heart,  and  with  all  thy  soul,  that  thou  mayest 
live. 

And  the  Lord  thy  God  will  put  all  these  curses 
upon  thine  enemies,  and  on  them  that  hate  thee, 
which  persecuted  thee.  And  thou  shalt  return 
and  obey  the  voice  of  the  Lord,  and  do  all  his 
commandments  which  I  command  thee  this  day. 

Behold,  I  have  taught  you  statutes  and  judg- 
ments, even  as  the  Lord  my  God  commanded  me, 
that  ye  should  do  so  in  the  land  whither  ye  go  to 
possess  it. 

Keep  therefore  and  do  them;  for  this  is  your 
wisdom  and  your  understanding  in  the  sight  of  the 
nations,  which  shall  hear  all  these  statutes,  and 
say,  "  Surely  this  great  nation  is  a  wise  and  under- 
standing people." 

For  what  nation  is  there  so  great,  who  hath 
God  so  nigh  unto  them,  as  the  Lord  our  God  is  in 
all  things  that  we  call  upon  him  for.'^  And  what 
nation  is  there  so  great,  that  hath  statutes  and 
judgments  so  righteous  as  all  this  law,  which  I 
set  before  you  this  day? 

For  this  commandment  which  I  command  thee 
this  da^s  it  is  not  hidden  from  thee,  neither  is  it 
far  off.  It  is  not  in  heaven,  that  thou  shouldest 
say,  *'  Who  shall  go  up  for  us  to  heaven,  and  bring 
it  unto  us,  that  we  may  hear  it,  and  do  it?" 


184  BIBLE  STORIES 

Neither  is  it  beyond  the  sea,  that  thou  shouldest 
say,  "Who  shall  go  over  the  sea  for  us,  and 
bring  it  unto  us,  that  we  may  hear  it,  and  do 
it?" 

But  the  word  is  very  nigh  unto  thee,  in  thy 
mouth,  and  in  thy  heart,  that  thou  mayest 
do  it. 

And  now,  Israel,  what  doth  the  Lord  thy  God 
require  of  thee,  but  to  fear  the  Lord  thy  God,  to 
walk  in  all  his  ways,  and  to  love  him,  and  to  serve 
the  Lord  thy  God  with  all  thy  heart  and  with  all 
thy  soul,  to  keep  the  commandments  of  the  Lord, 
and  his  statutes,  which  I  command  thee  this  day 
for  thy  good? 

Behold,  the  heaven  and  the  heaven  of  heavens 
is  the  Lord's  thy  God,  the  earth  also,  with  all 
that  therein  is.  Only  the  Lord  had  a  delight  in 
thy  fathers  to  love  them,  and  he  chose  their  seed 
after  them,  even  you  above  all  people,  as  it  is  this 
day. 

The  eternal  God  is  thy  refuge,  and  underneath 
are  the  everlasting  arms.  And  he  shall  thrust  out 
the  enemy  from  before  thee;  and  shall  say,  "De- 
stroy them." 

Israel  then  shall  dwell  in  safety  alone.  The 
fountain  of  Jacob  shall  be  upon  a  land  of  corn  and 
wine;  also  his  heavens  shall  drop  down  dew. 


THE  BURIAL  OF  MOSES  185 

Happy  art  thou,  O  Israel :  who  is  like  unto  thee, 
O  people  saved  by  the  Lord,  the  shield  of  thy 
help,  and  who  is  the  sword  of  thy  excellency!  and 
thine  enemies  shall  be  found  liars  unto  thee;  and 
thou  shalt  tread  upon  their  high  places. 

Lev.,  18;  Deut.,  4,  7,   10,  17,  28,  30,  33 

THE   BURIAL  OF  MOSES 

And  the  Lord  spake  unto  Moses,  saying,  "Get 
thee  up  into  this  mountain  Abarim,  unto*  mount 
Nebo,  which  is  in  the  land  of  Moab,  that  is  over 
against  Jericho;  and  behold  the  land  of  Canaan, 
which  I  give  unto  the  children  of  Israel  for  a  pos- 
session. And  die  in  the  mount  whither  thou  goest 
up,  and  be  gathered  unto  thy  people;  as  Aaron 
thy  brother  died  in  mount  Hor,  and  w^as  gathered 
unto  his  people.  Because  ye  trespassed  against 
me  among  the  children  of  Israel  at  the  waters  of 
Meribah-Kadesh,  in  the  wilderness  of  Zin;  be- 
cause ye  sanctified  me  not  in  the  midst  of  the 
children  of  Israel.  Yet  thou  shalt  see  the  land 
before  thee;  but  thou  shalt  not  go  thither  unto 
the  land  which  I  give  the  children  of  Israel." 

And  Moses  went  up  from  the  plains  of  ]Moab 
unto  the  mountain  of  Nebo,  to  the  top  of  Pisgah, 
that  is  over  against  Jericho.  And  the  Lord 
shewed  him  all  the  land  of  Gilead,  unto  Dan,  and 
all  Xaphlali,  and  the  land  of  Ephraim,  and  Ma- 


186  BIBLE  STORIES 

nasseh,  and  all  the  land  of  Judah,  unto  the  utmost 
sea,  and  the  south,  and  the  plain  of  the  valley  of 
Jericho,  the  city  of  palm  trees,  unto  Zoar. 

And  the  Lord  said  unto  him,  "  This  is  the  land 
which  I  sware  unto  Abraham,  unto  Isaac,  and 
unto  Jacob,  saying,  'I  will  give  it  unto  thy  seed.' 
I  have  caused  thee  to  see  it  with  thine  eyes,  but 
thou  shalt  not  go  over  thither." 

So  Moses  the  servant  of  the  Lord  died  there  in 
the  land  of  Moab,  according  to  the  word  of  the 
Lord.  And  he  buried  him  in  a  valley  in  the  land 
of  Moab,  over  against  Beth-peor:  but  no  man 
knoweth  of  his  sepulchre  unto  this  day. 

And  Moses  was  an  hundred  and  twenty  years 
old  when  he  died:  his  eye  was  not  dim,  nor  his 
natural  force  abated. 

And  the  children  of  Israel  wept  for  Moses  in 
the  plains  of  Moab  thirty  days:  so  the  days  of 
weeping  and  mourning  for  Moses  were  ended. 

And  Joshua  the  son  of  Nun  was  full  of  the 
spirit  of  wisdom;  for  Moses  had  laid  his  hands 
upon  him.  And  the  children  of  Israel  hearkened 
unto  him,  and  did  as  the  Lord  commanded 
]\Ioses. 

And  there  arose  not  a  proj^het  since  in  Israel 
like  unto  ]Moses,  whom  the  Lord  knew  face  to  face, 
in  all  the  signs  and  the  wonders,  which  the  Lord 
sent  him  to  do  in  the  land  of  Egypt  to  Pharaoh, 
and  to  all  his  servants,  and  to  all  his  laud,  and  in 


THE   BURIAL  OF   MOSES  187 

all  that  mighty  hand,  and  in  all  the  great  terror 
which  Moses  shewed  in  the  sight  of  all  Israel. 

Deuteronomy,  32,  34 

Read  also,  "How  Aaron  Died  in  Mount  Hor,"  Numbers, 
chap.  20,  verses  32-29.  For  more  about  Moses,  read  :  "  The 
God  of  the  Liinng,"  Mark,  chap.  12,  verses  18-27;  "  The 
Transfiguration,"  Matthew,  chap.  17,  verses  1-9,  Luke,  chap. 
9,  verses  2S-36 


3!hr^wrJW 


And  the  Lord  said  unto  Ahram,  ''Lift  up  note  thine  eyes,  and 
look  from  the  place  ichere  thou  art  northward,  and  southward, 
and  eastward,  and  westward.  For  all  the  land  which  thou  seest, 
to  thee  7HII  I  give  it,  and  to  thy  seed  for  ever.  And  I  will  make 
thy  seed  as  the  dust  of  the  earth:  so  that  if  a  man  can  number  the 
dust  of  the  earth,  then  shall  thy  seed  also  he  numbered." 

"And  I  will  make  of  thee  a  great  nation,  and  I  unll  bless  thee, 
and  make  thy  yiame  great;  and  thoit  shall  be  a  blessing.  And  I 
unll  bless  tfiem  that  bless  thee,  and  curse  him  that  curseth  thee: 
and  in  thee  shall  all  families  of  the  earth  be  blessed." 

Genesis,  12,  13 


THE  SCARLET  THREAD  IN  THE 
WINDOW 

'  ND  Joshua  the  son  of  Nun  sent  out  of 

Shittim  two  men  to  spy  secretly,  saying, 

"Go  view  the  land,  even  Jericho."    And 

they  went,  and  came  into  a  woman's  house, 

named  Rahab,  and  lodged  there. 

And  it  was  told  the  king  of  Jericho,  say- 
ing, "  Behold,  there  came  men  in  hither  to  night  of 
the  children  of  Israel  to  search  out  the  country." 
And  the  king  of  Jericho  sent  unto  Rahab,  say- 
ing, "Bring  forth  the  men  that  are  come  to  thee, 
which  are  entered  into  thine  house:  for  they  be 
come  to  search  out  all  the  country." 

And  the  woman  took  the  two  men,  and  hid 
them,  and  said  thus,  "There  came  men  unto  me, 
but  I  wist  not  whence  they  were.  And  it  came  to 
pass  about  the  time  of  shutting  of  the  gate,  when 
it  was  dark,  that  the  men  went  out:  Whither  the 
men  went  I  wot  not.  Pursue  after  them  quickly; 
for  ye  shall  overtake  them." 

But  she  had  brought  them  up  to  the  roof  of  the 
house,  and  hid  them  with  the  stalks  of  flax,  which 
she  had  laid  in  order  upon  the  roof.  And  the  men 
pursued  after  them  the  way  to  Jordan  unto  the 
fords.  And  as  soon  as  they  which  pursued  after 
them  were  gone  out,  they  shut  the  gate. 


192  BIBLE  STORIES 

And  before  they  were  laid  down,  she  came  up 
unto  them  upon  the  roof.  And  she  said  unto  the 
men,  "I  know  that  the  Lord  hath  given  you  the 
land,  and  that  your  terror  is  fallen  upon  us,  and 
that  all  the  inhabitants  of  the  land  faint  because 
of  you.  For  we  have  heard  how  the  Lord  dried  up 
the  water  of  the  Red  sea  for  you,  when  ye  came 
out  of  Egj'pt;  and  what  ye  did  unto  the  two  kings 
of  the  Amorites,  that  were  on  the  other  side  Jor- 
dan, Sihon  and  Og,  whom  ye  utterly  destroyed. 
And  as  soon  as  we  had  heard  these  things,  our 
hearts  did  melt,  neither  did  there  remain  any 
more  courage  in  any  man,  because  of  you :  for  the 
Lord  your  God,  he  is  God  in  heaven  above,  and  in 
earth  beneath. 

"  Now  therefore,  I  pray  you,  swear  unto  me  by 
the  Lord,  since  I  have  shewed  you  kindness,  that 
ye  will  also  shew  kindness  unto  my  father's  house, 
and  give  me  a  true  token:  and  that  ye  will  save 
alive  my  father,  and  my  mother,  and  my  brethren, 
and  my  sisters,  and  all  that  they  have,  and  de- 
liver our  lives  from  death." 

And  the  men  answered  her,  "Our  life  for  your's 
if  ye  utter  not  this  our  business.  And  it  shall  be, 
when  the  Lord  hath  given  us  the  land,  that  we 
will  deal  kindly  and  truly  with  thee." 

Then  she  let  them  down  by  a  cord  through  the 
window:  for  her  house  was  upon  the  town  wall, 
and  she  dwelt  upon  the  wall.   And  she  said  unto 


SCARLET  THRFAD  IN  THE  WINDOW   193 

them,  "Get  you  to  the  mountain,  lest  the  pur- 
suers meet  you;  and  hide  yourselves  there  three 
days,  until  the  pursuers  be  returned:  and  after- 
ward may  ye  go  your  way." 

And  the  men  said  unto  her,  "  We  will  be  blame- 
less of  this  thine  oath  which  thou  hast  made  us 
swear.  Behold,  when  we  come  into  the  land,  thou 
shalt  bind  this  line  of  scarlet  thread  in  the  window 
which  thou  didst  let  us  down  by:  and  thou  shalt 
bring  thy  father,  and  thy  mother,  and  thy  breth- 
ren, and  all  thy  father's  household,  home  unto 
thee.  And  it  shall  be,  that  whosoever  shall  go  out 
of  the  doors  of  thy  house  into  the  street,  his  blood 
shall  be  upon  his  head,  and  we  will  be  guiltless: 
and  whosoever  shall  be  with  thee  in  the  house,  his 
blood  shall  be  on  our  head,  if  any  hand  be  upon 
him.  And  if  thou  utter  this  our  business,  then  we 
will  be  quit  of  thine  oath  which  thou  hast  made  us 
to  swear." 

And  she  said,  "According  unto  your  words,  so  be 
it."  And  she  sent  them  away,  and  they  departed. 
And  she  bound  the  scarlet  line  in  the  window. 

And  they  went,  and  came  unto  the  mountain, 
and  abode  there  three  days,  until  the  pursuers 
were  returned:  and  the  pursuers  sought  them 
throughout  all  the  way,  but  found  them  not. 

So  the  two  men  returned,  and  descended  from 
the  mountain,  and  passed  over,  and  came  to 
Joshua  the  son  of  Nun,  and  told  him  all  things 


194  BIBLE  STORIES 

that  befell  them.  And  they  said  unto  Joshua, 
"Truly  the  Lord  hath  delivered  into  our  hands 
all  the  land;  for  even  all  the  inhabitants  of  the 
country  do  faint  because  of  us." 

Joshua,  2 

Read  "How  the  Waves  of  Jordan  Fled  Before  the  Ark  of  the 
Lord,"  Joshua,  chaps.  3  and  Jf 


WHY  THE  WALLS  OF  JERICHO  FELL 
DOWN  FLAT 

And  it  came  to  pass,  when  Joshua  was  by 
Jericho,  that  he  lifted  up  his  eyes  and  looked,  and, 
behold,  there  stood  a  man  over  against  him  with 
his  sword  drawn  in  his  hand:  and  Joshua  went 
unto  him,  and  said  unto  him,  "  Art  thou  for  us,  or 
for  our  adversaries.'^" 

And  he  said,  "Nay;  but  as  captain  of  the  host 
of  the  Lord  am  I  now  come." 

And  Joshua  fell  on  his  face  to  the  earth,  and 
did  worship,  and  said  unto  him,  "  What  saith  my 
lord  unto  his  servant.^" 

And  the  captain  of  the  Lord's  host  said  unto 
Joshua,  "Loose  thy  shoe  from  off  thy  foot;  for 
the  place  whereon  thou  standest  is  holy."  And 
Joshua  did  so. 

And  Jericho  was  straitly  shut  up  ])ecausc  of  the 
children  of  Israel.  None  went  out,  and  none  came 
in. 


THE   WALLS  OF  JERICHO         195 

And  the  Lord  said  unto  Joshua,  *'  See,  I  have 
given  into  thine  hand  Jericho,  and  the  king  there- 
of, and  the  mightj^  men  of  valour.  And  ye  shall 
compass  the  city,  all  ye  men  of  war,  and  go  round 
about  the  city  once.  Thus  shalt  thou  do  six  days. 
And  seven  priests  shall  bear  before  the  ark  seven 
trumpets  of  rams'  horns.  And  the  seventh  day  ye 
shall  compass  the  city  seven  times,  and  the  priests 
shall  blow  with  the  trumpets.  And  it  shall  come 
to  pass,  that  when  they  make  a  long  blast  with 
the  ram's  horn,  and  when  ye  hear  the  sound  of 
the  trumpet,  all  the  people  shall  shout  with  a 
great  shout;  and  the  wall  of  the  city  shall  fall 
down  flat,  and  the  people  shall  ascend  up  every 
man  straight  before  him." 

And  Joshua  the  son  of  Nun  called  the  priests, 
and  said  unto  them,  "Take  up  the  ark  of  the 
covenant,  and  let  seven  priests  bear  seven  trum- 
pets of  rams'  horns  before  the  ark  of  the  Lord." 
And  he  said  unto  the  people,  "Pass  on,  and  com- 
pass the  city,  and  let  him  that  is  armed  pass  on 
before  the  ark  of  the  Lord." 

And  it  came  to  pass,  when  Joshua  had  spoken 
unto  the  people,  that  the  seven  priests  bearing 
the  seven  trumpets  of  rams'  horns  passed  on  be- 
fore the  Lord,  and  blew  with  the  trumpets:  and 
the  ark  of  the  covenant  of  the  Lord  followed 
them. 

And  the  armed  men  went  before  the  priests  that 


196  BIBLE   STORIES 

blew  with  the  trumpets,  and  the  rereward  came 
after  the  ark,  the  priests  going  on,  and  blowing 
with  the  trumpets.  And  Joshua  had  commanded 
the  people,  saying,  "Ye  shall  not  shout,  nor  make 
any  noise  with  your  voice,  neither  shall  any  word 
proceed  out  of  your  mouth,  until  the  day  I  bid 
you  shout;  then  shall  ye  shout."  So  the  ark  of  the 
Lord  compassed  the  city,  going  about  it  once: 
and  they  came  into  the  camp,  and  lodged  in  the 
camp. 

And  Joshua  rose  early  in  the  morning,  and  the 
priests  took  up  the  ark  of  the  Lord.  And  seven 
priests  bearing  seven  trumpets  of  rams'  horns  be- 
fore the  ark  of  the  Lord  went  on  continually,  and 
blew  with  the  trumpets:  and  the  armed  men 
went  before  them;  but  the  rereward  came  after 
the  ark  of  the  Lord,  the  priests  going  on,  and  blow- 
ing with  the  trumpets.  And  the  second  day  they 
compassed  the  city  once,  and  returned  into  the 
camp:  so  they  did  six  days. 

And  it  came  to  pass  on  the  seventh  day,  that 
they  rose  early  about  the  dawning  of  the  day,  and 
compassed  the  city  after  the  same  manner  seven 
times:  only  on  that  day  they  compassed  the  city 
seven  times. 

And  it  came  to  pass  at  the  seventh  time,  when 
the  priests  blew  with  the  trumpets,  Joshua  said 
unto  the  people,  "  Shout;  for  the  Lord  hath  given 
you  the  city.  And  the  city  shall  be  accursed,  even 


THE  WALLS  OF  JERICHO         197 

it,  and  all  that  are  therein,  to  the  Lord:  only 
Rahab  shall  live,  she  and  all  that  are  with  her  in 
the  house,  because  she  hid  the  messengers  that  we 
sent.  And  ye,  in  any  wise  keep  yourselves  from 
the  accursed  thing,  lest  ye  make  yourselves  ac- 
cursed, when  ye  take  of  the  accursed  thing,  and 
make  the  camp  of  Israel  a  curse,  and  trouble  it. 
But  all  the  silver,  and  gold,  and  vessels  of  brass 
and  iron,  are  consecrated  unto  the  Lord:  they 
shall  come  into  the  treasury  of  the  Lord." 

So  the  people  shouted  when  the  priests  blew 
with  the  trumpets.  And  it  came  to  pass,  when 
the  people  heard  the  sound  of  the  trumpet,  and 
the  people  shouted  with  a  great  shout,  that  the 
wall  fell  down  flat,  so  that  the  people  went  up  into 
the  city,  every  man  straight  before  him,  and  they 
took  the  city.  And  they  utterly  destroyed  all  that 
was  in  the  city,  both  man  and  woman,  young  and 
old,  and  ox,  and  sheep,  and  ass,  with  the  edge  of 
the  sword. 

But  Joshua  had  said  unto  the  two  men  that  had 
spied  out  the  country,  "Go  into  Rahab's  house, 
and  bring  out  thence  the  woman,  and  all  that  she 
hath,  as  ye  sware  unto  her." 

And  the  young  men  that  were  spies  went  in, 
and  brought  out  Rahab,  and  her  father,  and  her 
mother,  and  her  brethren,  and  all  that  she  had; 
and  they  brought  out  all  her  kindred,  and  left 
them  without  the  camp  of  Israel. 


198  BIBLE  STORIES 

And  they  burnt  the  city  with  fire,  and  all  that 
was  therein :  only  the  silver,  and  the  gold,  and  the 
vessels  of  brass  and  of  iron,  they  put  into  the 
treasury  of  the  house  of  the  Lord. 

And  Joshua  saved  Rahab  alive,  and  her  father's 
household,  and  all  that  she  had;  and  she  dwelleth 
in  Israel  even  unto  this  day;  because  she  hid  the 
messengers,  which  Joshua  sent  to  spy  out  Jericho. 

And  Joshua  adjured  them  at  that  time,  saying, 
"  Cursed  be  the  man  before  the  Lord,  that  riseth 
up  and  buildeth  this  city  Jericho :  he  shall  lay  the 
foundation  thereof  in  his  firstborn,  and  in  his 
youngest  son  shall  he  set  up  the  gates  of  it."  ^ 

So  the  Lord  was  with  Joshua ;  and  his  fame  was 
noised  throughout  all  the  country. 

Joshua,  5,  6 

Some  other  interesting  stories  are,  '*  IIoiv  Achan  stole  the 
Babi/lonish  Garment  and  Treasure,"  Joshua,  chap.  7;  and 
*'The  Taking  of  the  Wicked  City  oj  Ai,"  Joshua,  chap.  8 

THE   CRAFTY  GIBEONITES 

And  when  the  inhabitants  of  Gibeon  heard 
what  Joshua  had  done  unto  Jericho  and  to  Ai, 
they  did  work  wilily,  and  went  anrl  made  as  if 
they  had  been  ambassadors,  and  took  old  sacks 
upon  their  asses,  and  wine  bottles,  old,  and  rent, 
and  bound  up;  and  old  shoes  and  clouted  upon 

*  Sec  page  311. 


THE  CRAFTY  GIBEONITES        199 

their  feet,  and  old  garments  upon  them;  and  all 
the  bread  of  their  provision  was  dry  and  mouldy. 
And  they  went  to  Joshua  unto  the  camp  at  Gil- 
gal,  and  said  unto  him,  and  to  the  men  of  Israel, 
"We  be  come  from  a  far  country:  now  therefore 
make  ye  a  league  with  us."  And  the  men  of  Israel 
said  unto  the  Hivites,  "  Perad venture  ye  dwell 
among  us;  and  how  shall  we  make  a  league  with 

you?" 

And  they  said  unto  Joshua,  "We  are  thy  serv- 
ants." And  Joshua  said  unto  them,  "  Who  are  ye? 
and  from  whence  come  ye?  " 

And  they  said  unto  him,  "From  a  very  far 
country  thy  servants  are  come  because  of  the 
name  of  the  Lord  thy  God.  For  we  have  heard 
the  fame  of  him,  and  all  that  he  did  in  Egypt, 
and  all  that  he  did  to  the  two  kings  of  the  Amor- 
ites,  that  were  beyond  Jordan,  to  Sihon  king  of 
Heshbon,  and  to  Og  king  of  Bashan,  which  was 
at  Ashtaroth.  Wherefore  our  elders  and  all  the 
inhabitants  of  our  country  spake  to  us,  saying, 
*Take  victuals  with  you  for  the  journey,  and  go 
to  meet  them,  and  say  unto  them,  "  We  are  your 
servants:  therefore  now  make  ye  a  league  with 
us."' 

"  This  our  bread  we  took  hot  for  our  provision 
out  of  our  houses  on  the  day  we  came  forth  to  go 
unto  you;  but  now,  behold,  it  is  dry,  and  it  is 
mouldy.    And  these  bottles  of  wine,   which  we 


200  BIBLE   STORIES 

filled,  were  new;  and,  behold,  they  be  rent.  And 
these  our  garments  and  our  shoes  are  become  old 
by  reason  of  the  very  long  journey." 

And  the  men  took  of  their  victuals,  and  asked 
not  counsel  at  the  mouth  of  the  Lord.  And  Joshua 
made  peace  with  them,  and  made  a  league  with 
them,  to  let  them  live:  and  the  princes  of  the 
congregation  sware  unto  them. 

And  it  came  to  pass  at  the  end  of  three  days 
after  they  had  made  a  league  with  them,  that  they 
heard  that  they  were  their  neighbours,  and  that 
they  dwelt  among  them. 

And  the  children  of  Israel  journeyed,  and  came 
unto  their  cities  on  the  third  day.  Now  their  cities 
were  Gibeon,  and  Chephirah,  and  Beeroth,  and 
Kirjath-jearim.  And  the  children  of  Israel  smote 
them  not,  because  the  princes  of  the  congregation 
had  sworn  unto  them  by  the  Lord  God  of  Israel. 
And  all  the  congregation  murmured  against  the 
princes. 

But  all  the  princes  said  unto  all  the  congrega- 
tion, "We  have  sworn  unto  them  by  the  Lord 
God  of  Israel:  now  therefore  we  may  not  touch 
them.  This  we  will  do  to  them;  we  will  even  let 
them  live,  lest  wrath  be  upon  us,  because  of  the 
oath  which  we  sware  unto  them."  And  the 
princes  said  unto  them,  "Let  them  live;  but  let 
them  l)e  hewers  of  wood  and  drawers  of  water 
unto  all  the  congregation." 


THE   CRAFTY  GIBEONITES        201 

And  Joshua  called  for  them,  and  he  spake  unto 
them,  saying,  "Wherefore  have  ye  beguiled  us, 
saying,  'We  are  very  far  from  you;'  when  ye 
dwell  among  us?  Now  therefore  ye  are  cursed,  and 
there  shall  none  of  you  be  freed  from  being  bond- 
men, and  hewers  of  wood  and  drawers  of  water  for 
the  house  of  my  God." 

And  they  answered  Joshua,  and  said,  "Because 
it  was  certainly  told  thy  servants,  how  that  the 
Lord  thy  God  commanded  his  servant  Moses  to 
give  you  all  the  land,  and  to  destroy  all  the  inhab- 
itants of  the  land  from  before  you,  therefore  we 
were  sore  afraid  of  our  lives  because  of  you,  and 
have  done  this  thing.  And  now,  behold,  we  are  in 
thine  hand.  As  it  seemeth  good  and  right  unto 
thee  to  do  unto  us,  do." 

And  so  did  he  unto  them,  and  delivered  them 
out  of  the  hand  of  the  children  of  Israel,  that  they 
slew  them  not.  And  Joshua  made  them  that  day 
hewers  of  wood  and  drawers  of  water  for  the  con- 
gregation, and  for  the  altar  of  the  Lord,  even  unto 
this  day,  in  the  place  which  he  should  choose. 

Joshua,  9 

Other  stories  of  battle  are,  "The  Battle  with  the  Five  Kings  of 
the  Amorites,'"  Joshua,  chap.  10;  "  The  Hosts  of  tfie  Many 
Kings,"  Joshua,  chap.  11 


202  BIBLE   STORIES 

JOSHUA'S  FAREWELL 

And  it  came  to  pass  a  long  time  after  that  the 
Lord  had  given  rest  unto  Israel  from  all  their 
enemies  round  about,  that  Joshua  waxed  old  and 
stricken  in  age. 

And  Joshua  called  for  all  Israel,  and  for  their 
elders,  and  for  their  heads,  and  for  their  judges, 
and  for  their  officers,  and  said  unto  them,  "I  am 
old  and  stricken  in  age.  And  ye  have  seen  all  that 
the  Lord  your  God  hath  done  unto  all  these  na- 
tions because  of  you;  for  the  Lord  your  God  is  he 
that  hath  fought  for  you. 

"Behold,  I  have  divided  unto  you  by  lot  these 
nations  that  remain,  to  be  an  inheritance  for  your 
tribes,  from  Jordan,  with  all  the  nations  that  I 
have  cut  off,  even  unto  the  great  sea  westward. 
And  the  Lord  your  God,  he  shall  expel  them  from 
before  you,  and  drive  them  from  out  of  your  sight; 
and  ye  shall  possess  their  land,  as  the  Lord  your 
God  hath  promised  unto  jou. 

"Be  ye  therefore  very  courageous  to  keep  and 
to  do  all  that  is  written  in  the  book  of  the  law  of 
IMoses,  that  ye  turn  not  aside  therefrom  to  the 
right  hand  or  to  the  left;  that  ye  come  not  among 
these  nations,  these  that  remain  among  you; 
neither  make  mention  of  the  name  of  their  gods, 
nor  cause  to  swear  by  them,  neither  serve  them, 
nor  bow  yourselves  unto  them:  but  cleave  unto 


JOSHUA'S  FAREWELL  203 

the  Lord  your  God,  as  ye  have  done  unto  this 
day. 

"For  the  Lord  hath  driven  out  from  before  you 
great  nations  and  strong:  but  as  for  you,  no  man 
hath  been  able  to  stand  before  you  unto  this  day. 
One  man  of  you  shall  chase  a  thousand:  for  the 
Lord  your  God,  he  it  is  that  fighteth  for  you,  as  he 
hath  promised  you. 

"  Take  good  heed  therefore  unto  yourselves, 
that  ye  love  the  Lord  your  God.  Else  if  ye  do  in 
any  wise  go  back,  and  cleave  unto  the  remnant  of 
these  nations,  even  these  that  remain  among  you, 
and  shall  make  marriages  with  them,  and  go  in 
unto  them,  and  they  to  you:  know  for  a  certainty 
that  the  Lord  your  God  will  no  more  drive  out 
any  of  these  nations  from  before  you;  but  they 
shall  be  snares  and  traps  unto  you,  and  scourges 
in  your  sides,  and  thorns  in  your  eyes,  until  ye 
perish  from  off  this  good  land  which  the  Lord 
your  God  hath  given  you. 

"And,  behold,  this  day  I  am  going  the  way  of 
all  the  earth.  And  ye  know  in  all  j^our  hearts  and 
in  all  your  souls,  that  not  one  thing  hath  failed  of 
all  the  good  things  which  the  Lord  your  God 
spake  concerning  you.  All  are  come  to  pass  unto 
you,  and  not  one  thing  hath  failed  thereof. 

"Therefore  it  shall  come  to  pass,  that  as  all 
good  things  are  come  upon  you,  which  the  I^ord 
your  God  promised  you;  so  shall  the  Lord  bring 


204  BIBLE   STORIES 

upon  you  all  evil  things,  until  he  have  destroyed 
you  from  off  this  good  land  which  the  Lord  your 
God  hath  given  you.  When  ye  have  transgressed 
the  covenant  of  the  Lord  your  God,  which  he 
commanded  you,  and  have  gone  and  served  other 
gods,  and  bowed  yourselves  to  them;  then  shall 
the  anger  of  the  Lord  be  kindled  against  you, 
and  ye  shall  perish  quickly  from  off  the  good  land 
which  he  hath  given  unto  you. 

"Now  therefore  fear  the  Lord,  and  serve  him 
in  sincerity  and  in  truth :  and  put  away  the  gods 
which  your  fathers  served  on  the  other  side  of  the 
flood,  and  in  Egypt;  and  serve  ye  the  Lord.  And 
if  it  seem  evil  unto  you  to  serve  the  Lord,  choose 
you  this  day  whom  ye  will  serve;  whether  the  gods 
which  your  fathers  served  that  were  on  the  other 
side  of  the  flood,  or  the  gods  of  the  Amorites,  in 
whose  land  ye  dwell :  but  as  for  me  and  my  house, 
we  will  serve  the  Lord." 

And  the  people  answered  and  said,  "God  forbid 
that  we  should  forsake  the  Lord,  to  serve  other 
gods;  for  the  Lord  our  (iod,  he  it  is  that  brought 
us  up  and  our  fathers  out  of  the  land  of  Egypt, 
from  the  house  of  bondage,  and  which  did  those 
great  signs  in  our  sight,  and  preserved  us  in  all 
the  way  wherein  we  went,  and  among  all  the 
people  through  whom  we  passed.  And  the  Lord 
dravc  out  from  before  us  all  the  people,  even  the 


JOSHUA'S  FAREWELL  205 

Amorites  which  dwelt  in  the  land :  therefore  will 
we  also  serve  the  Lord;  for  he  is  our  God." 

And  Joshua  said  unto  the  people,  "Ye  cannot 
serve  the  Lord:  for  he  is  an  holy  God;  he  is  a 
watchful  God;  he  will  not  forgive  your  trans- 
gressions nor  your  sins.  If  ye  forsake  the  Lord, 
and  serve  strange  gods,  then  he  will  turn  and  do 
you  hurt,  and  consume  you,  after  that  he  hath 
done  you  good." 

And  the  people  said  unto  Joshua,  "Nay;  but 
we  will  serve  the  Lord." 

And  Joshua  said  unto  the  people,  "Ye  are 
witnesses  against  yourselves  that  ye  have  chosen 
you  the  Lord,  to  serve  him."  And  they  said,  "We 
are  witnesses."  "Now  therefore  put  away,"  said 
he,  "the  strange  gods  which  are  among  you,  and 
incline  your  heart  unto  the  Lord  God  of  Israel." 

And  the  people  said  unto  Joshua,  "The  Lord 
our  God  will  we  serve,  and  his  voice  will  we 
obey." 

So  Joshua  made  a  covenant  with  the  people 
that  day,  and  set  them  a  statute  and  an  ordinance 
in  Shechem. 

And  Joshua  wrote  these  words  in  the  book  of 
the  law  of  God,  and  took  a  great  stone,  and  set  it 
up  there  under  an  oak,  that  was  by  the  sanctuary 
of  the  Lord.  And  Joshua  said  unto  all  the  people, 
"Behold,  this  stone  shall  be  a  witness  unto  us; 
for  it  hath  heard  all  the  words  of  the  Lord  which 


206  BIBLE   STORIES 

he  spake  unto  us.    It  shall  be  therefore  a  witness 
unto  you,  lest  ye  deny  your  God." 

So  Joshua  let  the  people  depart,  every  man 
unto  his  inheritance. 

Joshua,  23,  24 


[n(tif%5pfttir|ttJ^C5 


Ye  shall  not  do  after  all  the  things  that  we  do  here  this  day, 
every  man  whatsoever  is  right  in  his  own  eyes. 

Deuteronomy,  12 

In  those  days  there  was  no  king  in  Israel,  but  every  man  did 
that  which  was  right  in  his  own  eyes. 

Judges,  17,  21 


AND   ISRAEL   WORSHIPPED   IDOLS 

ND  there  arose  another  generation  after 
them,  which  knew  not  the  Lord,  nor  yet 
the  works  which  he  had  done  for  Israel. 
And  the  children  of  Israel  did  evil  in  the 
sight  of  the  Lord,  and  served  Baalim.  And 
they  forsook  the  Lord  God  of  their  fathers, 
which  brought  them  out  of  the  land  of  Egypt,  and 
followed  other  gods,  of  the  gods  of  the  people 
that  were  round  about  them,  and  bowed  them- 
selves unto  them,  and  provoked  the  Lord  to 
anger.  And  they  forsook  the  Lord,  and  served 
Baal  and  Ashtaroth. 

And  the  anger  of  the  Lord  was  hot  against  Is- 
rael, and  he  delivered  them  into  the  hands  of 
spoilers  that  spoiled  them,  and  he  sold  them  into 
the  hands  of  their  enemies  round  about,  so  that 
they  could  not  any  longer  stand  before  their  ene- 
mies. Whithersoever  they  went  out,  the  hand  of 
the  Lord  was  against  them  for  evil,  as  the  Lord 
had  said,  and  as  the  Lord  had  sworn  unto  them: 
and  they  were  greatly  distressed. 

Nevertheless  the  Lord  raised  up  judges,  which 
delivered  them  out  of  the  hand  of  those  that 
spoiled  them.  And  yet  they  would  not  hearken 
unto  their  judges,  but  they  went  after  other  gods, 
and  bowed  themselves  unto  them.    Tliev  turned 


210  BIBLE  STORIES 

qiiicklj''  out  of  the  waj'  which  their  fathers  walked 
in,  obeying  the  commandments  of  the  Lord;  but 
they  did  not  so. 

And  when  the  Lord  raised  them  up  judges, 
then  the  Lord  was  with  the  judge,  and  dehvered 
them  out  of  the  hand  of  their  enemies  all  the  days 
of  the  judge:  for  it  repented  the  Lord  because  of 
their  groanings  by  reason  of  them  that  oppressed 
them  and  vexed  them.  And  it  came  to  pass, 
when  the  judge  was  dead,  that  they  returned, 
and  corrupted  themselves  more  than  their  fathers, 
in  following  other  gods  to  serve  them,  and  to  bow 
down  unto  them;  they  ceased  not  from  their  own 
doings,  nor  from  their  stubborn  way. 

And  the  anger  of  the  Lord  was  hot  against  Is- 
rael; and  he  said,  "Because  that  this  people  hath 
transgressed  my  covenant  which  I  commanded 
their  fathers,  and  have  not  hearkened  unto  my 
voice;  I  also  will  not  henceforth  drive  out  any  from 
before  them  of  the  nations  which  Joshua  left  when 
he  died.  That  through  them  I  may  prove  Israel, 
whether  they  will  keep  the  way  of  the  Lord  to 
walk  therein,  as  their  fathers  did  keep  it,  or  not." 

Therefore  the  Lord  left  those  nations,  without 
driving  them  out  hastily;  neither  delivered  he 
them  into  the  hand  of  Joshua. 

Judges,  2 

Other  interesting  stories  are,  "  flow  Othniel  Won  His  Bride" 
Judges,  (hap.  1.  verses  9-1 'j,  chap.  2,  ami  chap.  3,  verses  1-11; 
"  The  Human  Judge"  Judges,  chap.  4  arul  5 


GIDEON'S  FLEECE  211 

GIDEON'S   FLEECE 

And  there  came  an  angel  of  the  Lord,  and  sat 
under  an  oak  which  was  in  Ophrah,  that  per- 
tained unto  Joash  the  Abi-ezrite:  and  his  son 
Gideon  threshed  wheat  by  the  winepress,  to  hide 
it  from  the  Midianites.  And  the  angel  of  the  Lord 
appeared  unto  him,  and  said  unto  him,  "The 
Lord  is  with  thee,  thou  mighty  man  of  valour." 

And  Gideon  said  unto  him,  "  O  my  Lord,  if  the 
Lord  be  with  us,  why  then  is  all  this  befallen  us? 
and  where  be  all  his  miracles  which  our  fathers 
told  us  of,  saying,  'Did  not  the  Lord  bring  us  up 
from  Egypt? '  but  now  the  Lord  hath  forsaken  us, 
and  delivered  us  into  the  hands  of  the  Midian- 
ites." 

And  the  Lord  looked  upon  him,  and  said,  "Go 
in  this  thy  might,  and  thou  shalt  save  Israel  from 
the  hand  of  the  Midianites :  have  not  I  sent  thee?  " 

And  he  said  unto  him,  "O  my  Lord,  wherewith 

shall  I  save  Israel?  behold,  my  family  is  poor  in 

Manasseh,  and  I  am  the  least  in  my  father's 

.  house." 

•vho.  i^nd  the  Lord  said  unto  him,  "  Surely  I  will  be 

withith  thee,  and  thou  shalt  smite  the  Midianites  as 

Sone  man." 
ar     ••••••••  • 

Then  all  the  Midianites  and  the  Amalekites 
and  the  children  of  the  east  were  gathered  lo- 


212  BIBLE   STORIES 

gether,  and  went  over,  and  pitched  in  the  valley 
of  Jezreel.  But  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord  came  upon 
Gideon,  and  he  blew  a  trumpet;  and  Abi-ezer  was 
gathered  after  him.  And  he  sent  messengers 
throughout  all  Manasseh;  who  also  was  gathered 
after  him.  And  he  sent  messengers  unto  Asher, 
and  unto  Zebulun,  and  unto  Naphtali;  and  they 
came  up  to  meet  them. 

And  Gideon  said  unto  God,  "If  thou  wilt  save 
Israel  by  mine  hand,  as  thou  hast  said,  behold,  I 
will  put  a  fleece  of  wool  on  the  threshing-floor;  and 
if  the  dew  be  on  the  fleece  only,  and  it  be  dry  upon 
all  the  earth  beside,  then  shall  I  know  that  thou 
wilt  save  Israel  by  mine  hand,  as  thou  hast  said." 

And  it  was  so :  for  he  rose  up  early  on  the  mor- 
row, and  thrust  the  fleece  together,  and  wringed 
the  dew  out  of  the  fleece,  a  bowl  full  of  water. 

And  Gideon  said  unto  God,  "Let  not  thine 
anger  be  hot  against  me,  and  I  will  speak  but  this 
once.  Let  me  prove,  I  pray  thee,  but  this  once 
with  the  fleece;  let  it  now  be  dry  only  v^^^n  the 
fleece,  and  upon  all  the  ground  let  therf  " 

And  God  did  so  that  night:  for  it  wa..  . 
the  fleece  only,  and  there  was  dew  on  ali  ^;   , 
ground. 

Judges,  6 

Rend  "  How  Gideon  Cast  Down  the  Altar  of  Baal,'"  Judges, 
chap.  (},  verses  1-32 


THE  LORD  AND  GIDEON    213 

THE  SWORD  OF  THE  LORD  AND  OF 
GIDEON 

Then  Gideon,  and  all  the  people  that  were 
with  him,  rose  up  early,  and  pitched  beside  the 
well  of  Harod:  so  that  the  host  of  the  Midianites 
were  on  the  north  side  of  them,  by  the  hill  of 
Moreh,  in  the  valley. 

And  the  Lord  said  unto  Gideon,  "The  people 
that  are  with  thee  are  too  many  for  me  to  give 
the  Midianites  into  their  hands,  lest  Israel  vaunt 
themselves  against  me,  saying,  'Mine  own  hand 
hath  saved  me.'  Now  therefore  go  to,  proclaim  in 
the  ears  of  the  people,  saying,  '  Whosoever  is  fear- 
ful and  afraid,  let  him  return  and  depart  early 
from  mount  Gilead.'" 

And  there  returned  of  the  people  twenty  and 
two  thousand;  and  there  remained  ten  thousand. 

And  the  Lord  said  unto  Gideon,  "The  people 
are  yet  too  many;  bring  them  down  unto  the 
water,  and  I  will  try  them  for  thee  there:  and  it 
shall  be,  that  of  whom  I  say  unto  thee,  'This  shall 
go  with  thee,'  the  same  shall  go  with  thee;  and  of 
whomsoever  I  say  unto  thee,  'This  shall  not  go 
with  thee,'  the  same  shall  not  go." 

So  he  brought  down  the  people  unto  the  water: 
and  the  Lord  said  unto  (Jideon,  "Every  one  that 
lappeth  of  the  water  with  his  tongue,  as  a  dog 
lappeth,  him  shalt  thou  set  by  himself;  likewise 


214  BIBLE   STORIES 

every  one  that  boweth  down  upon  his  knees  to 
drink." 

And  the  number  of  them  that  lapped,  putting 
their  hand  to  their  mouth,  were  three  hundred 
men.  But  all  the  rest  of  the  people  bowed  down 
upon  their  knees  to  drink  water. 

And  the  Lord  said  unto  Gideon,  "By  the  three 
hundred  men  that  lapped  will  I  save  you,  and  de- 
liver the  Midianites  into  thine  hand.  And  let  all 
the  other  people  go  every  man  unto  his  place." 

So  the  people  took  victuals  in  their  hand,  and 
their  trumpets :  and  he  sent  all  the  rest  of  Israel 
every  man  unto  his  tent,  and  retained  those  three 
hundred  men:  and  the  host  of  Midian  was  be- 
neath him  in  the  valley. 

And  it  came  to  pass  the  same  night,  that  the 
Lord  said  unto  him,  "Arise,  get  thee  down  unto 
the  host;  for  I  have  delivered  it  into  thine  hand. 
But  if  thou  fear  to  go  down,  go  thou  with  Phurah 
thy  servant  down  to  the  host.  And  thou  shalt 
hear  what  they  say;  and  afterward  shall  thine 
hands  be  strengthened  to  go  down  unto  tlie  host." 

Then  went  he  down  with  Phurah  his  servant 
unto  the  outside  of  the  armed  men  that  were  in 
the  host.  And  the  INIidianites  and  the  Amalekites 
and  all  the  cliildren  of  the  east  lay  along  in  the 
valley  like  grasslioppers  for  nmltitude;  and  their 
camels  were  without  number,  as  the  sand  by  the 
sea  side  for  multitude. 


THE   LORD   AND   GIDEON         215 

And  when  Gideon  was  come,  behold,  there  was 
a  man  that  told  a  dream  unto  his  fellow,  and  said, 
"Behold,  I  dreamed  a  dream,  and,  lo,  a  cake  of 
barley  bread  tumbled  into  the  host  of  INIidian, 
and  came  unto  a  tent,  and  smote  it  that  it  fell,  and 
overturned  it,  that  the  tent  lay  along." 

And  his  fellow  answered  and  said,  "This  is 
nothing  else  save  the  sword  of  Gideon  the  son  of 
Joash,  a  man  of  Israel.  For  into  his  hand  hath 
God  delivered  INIidian,  and  all  the  host." 

And  it  was  so,  when  Gideon  heard  the  telling  of 
the  cb-eam,  and  the  interpretation  thereof,  that  he 
worshipped,  and  returned  into  the  host  of  Israel, 
and  said,  "  Arise;  for  the  Lord  hath  delivered  into 
your  hand  the  host  of  Midian." 

And  he  divided  the  three  hundred  men  into 
three  companies,  and  he  put  a  trumpet  in  every 
man's  hand,  with  empty  pitchers,  and  lamps 
within  the  pitchers.  And  he  said  unto  them, 
"  Look  on  me,  and  do  likewise:  and,  behold,  when 
I  come  to  the  outside  of  the  camp,  it  shall  be  that, 
as  I  do,  so  shall  ye  do.  When  I  blow  with  a 
trumpet,  I  and  all  that  are  with  me,  then  blow 
ye  the  trumpets  also  on  every  side  of  all  the 
camp,  and  say,  'The  sword  of  the  Lord,  and  of 
Gideon.' " 

So  Gideon,  and  the  hundred  men  that  were 
with  him,  came  unto  the  outside  of  the  cam])  in 
the  beginning  of  the  middle  watch;  and  they  had 


216  BIBLE   STORIES 

but  newly  set  the  watch.  And  they  blew  the 
trumpets,  and  brake  the  pitchers  that  were  in 
their  hands. 

And  the  three  companies  blew  the  trumpets, 
and  brake  the  pitchers,  and  held  the  lamps  in 
their  left  hands,  and  the  trumpets  in  their  right 
hands  to  blow  withal.  And  they  cried,  "  The 
sword  of  the  Lord,  and  of  Gideon!" 

And  they  stood  every  man  in  his  place  round 
about  the  camp.  And  all  the  host  ran,  and  cried, 
and  fled. 

And  the  three  hundred  blew  the  trumpets,  and 
the  Lord  set  every  man's  sword  against  his  fel- 
low, even  throughout  all  the  host:  and  the  host 
fled.  And  the  men  of  Israel  gathered  themselves 
together  and  pursued  after  the  Midianites. 

And  Gideon  sent  messengers  throughout  all 
mount  Ephraim,  saying,  "  Come  down  against 
the  Midianites,  and  take  before  them  the  waters 
unto  Beth-barah  and  Jordan."  Then  all  the  men 
of  Ephraim  gathered  themselves  together,  and 
took  the  waters  imto  Beth-barah  and  Jordan. 
And  they  took  two  princes  of  the  Midianites, 
Oreb  and  Zeeb;  and  they  slew  Oreb  upon  the 
rock  Oreb,  and  Zeeb  they  slew  at  the  winepress  of 
Zeel),  and  pursued  INlidian,  and  brought  the  heads 
of  Oreb  and  Zeeb  to  Gideon  on  the  other  side 
Jordan. 


JEPHTHAH'S  DAUGHTER  217 

Thus  was  Midian  subdued  before  the  children 
of  Israel,  so  that  they  lifted  up  their  heads  nc 
more.  And  the  country  was  in  quietness  forty 
years  in  the  days  of  Gideon. 

And  it  came  to  pass,  as  soon  as  Gideon  was 
dead,  that  the  children  of  Israel  turned  again 
after  Baalim,  and  made  Baal-berith  their  god. 
And  the  children  of  Israel  remembered  not  the 
Lord  their  God,  who  had  delivered  them  out  of 
the  hands  of  all  their  enemies  on  every  side. 

Neither  shewed  they  kindness  to  the  house  of 
Jerubbaal,  namely,  Gideon,  according  to  all  the 
goodness  which  he  had  shewed  unto  Israel. 

Judges,  7,  8 

Read  also  "Why  Gideon  Taught  the  Men  of  Succoth  with 
Thorns  and  Brie)s,"  Judges,  chap.  8 

JEPHTHAH'S  DAUGHTER 

Then  the  children  of  Ammon  were  gathered 
together,  and  encamped  in  Gilead.  And  the  chil- 
dren of  Israel  assembled  themselves  together,  and 
encamped  in  Mizpeh.  And  the  people  and  princes 
of  Gilead  said  one  to  another,  "  What  man  is  he 
that  will  begin  to  fight  against  the  children  of 
Anmion.^  he  shall  be  head  over  all  the  inhabitants 
of  Gilead." 

Now  Jephthah  the  Gileadite  was  a  mighty  man 
of  valour.   His  brethren  thrust  out  Jephthah,  and 


218  BIBLE  STORIES 

said  unto  him,  "Thou  shalt  not  inherit  in  our 
father's  house."  Then  Jephthah  fled  from  his 
brethren,  and  dwelt  in  the  hind  of  Tob:  and 
there  were  gathered  vain  men  to  Jephthah,  and 
went  out  with  him. 

And  it  was  so,  that  when  the  children  of  Am- 
nion made  war  against  Israel,  the  elders  of  Gilead 
went  to  fetch  Jephthah  out  of  the  land  of  Tob. 
And  they  said  unto  Jephthah,  "  Come,  and  be  our 
captain,  that  we  may  fight  with  the  children  of 
Ammon." 

And  Jephthah  said  unto  the  elders  of  Gilead, 
"  Did  not  ye  hate  me,  and  expel  me  out  of  my 
father's  house.''  and  why  are  ye  come  unto  me 
now  when  ye  are  in  distress.^" 

And  the  elders  of  Gilead  said  unto  Jephthah, 
"  Therefore  we  turn  again  to  thee  now,  that  thou 
mayest  go  with  us,  and  fight  against  the  children 
of  Ammon,  and  be  our  head  over  all  the  inhab- 
itants of  Gilead." 

And  Jephthah  said  unto  the  elders  of  Gilead, 
"  If  ye  bring  me  home  again  to  fight  against  the 
cliildren  of  Ammon,  and  the  Lord  deliver  them 
before  me,  shall  I  be  your  head.^" 

And  the  elders  of  Gilead  said  unto  Jephthah, 
"The  Lord  be  witness  between  us,  if  we  do  not  so 
according  to  thy  words." 

Then  Jephthah  went  with  the  elders  of  Gilead, 
and  the  people  made  him  head  and  captain  over 


JEPHTHAII'S  DAUGHTER  219 

them.  And  Jcplithah  uttered  all  his  words  before 
the  Lord  in  ]Mizpeh.  Then  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord 
came  upon  Jephthah,  and  he  passed  over  Gilead, 
and  Manasseh,  and  passed  over  Mizpeh  of  Gilead, 
and  from  Mizpeh  of  Gilead  he  passed  over  unto 
the  children  of  Amnion. 

And  Jephthah  vowed  a  vow  unto  the  Lord,  and 
said,  "If  thou  shalt  without  fail  deliver  the  chil- 
dren of  Amnion  into  mine  hands,  then  it  shall  be, 
that  whatsoever  cometh  forth  of  the  doors  of  my 
house  to  meet  me,  when  I  return  in  peace  from 
the  children  of  Ammon,  shall  surely  be  the  Lord's, 
and  I  will  offer  it  up  for  a  burnt  offering." 

So  Jephthah  passed  over  unto  the  children  of 
Ammon  to  fight  against  them ;  and  the  Lord  deliv- 
ered them  into  his  hands.  And  he  smote  them 
from  Aroer,  even  till  thou  come  to  ]Minnith,  even 
twenty  cities,  and  unto  the  plain  of  the  vineyards, 
with  a  very  great  slaughter.  Thus  the  children 
of  Ammon  were  subdued  before  the  children  of 
Israel. 

And  Jephthah  came  to  Mizpeh  unto  his  house, 
and,  behold,  his  daughter  came  out  to  meet  him 
with  timbrels  and  with  dances.  And  she  was  his 
only  child;  beside  her  he  had  neither  son  nor 
daughter.  And  it  came  to  pass,  when  he  saw  her, 
that  he  rent  his  clothes,  and  said,  "  Alas,  my 
daughter!  thou  hast  brought  me  very  low,  and 
thou  art  one  of  them  that  trouble  me.   For  I  have 


220  BIBLE  STORIES 

opened  my  mouth  unto  the  Lord,  and  I  cannot  go 
back." 

And  she  said  unto  him,  "My  father,  if  thou 
hast  opened  thy  mouth  unto  the  Lord,  do  to  me 
according  to  that  which  hath  proceeded  out  of  thy 
mouth;  forasmuch  as  the  Lord  hath  taken  ven- 
geance for  thee  of  thine  enemies,  even  of  the  chil- 
dren of  Ammon."  And  she  said  unto  her  father, 
"Let  this  thing  be  done  for  me.  Let  me  alone  two 
months,  that  I  may  go  up  and  down  upon  the 
mountains,  and  bewail  my  virginity,  I  and  my 
fellows."  And  he  said,  "Go."  And  he  sent  her 
nway  for  two  months.  And  she  went  with  her 
companions,  and  bewailed  her  virginity  upon  the 
mountains.  And  it  came  to  pass  at  the  end  of  two 
months,  that  she  returned  unto  her  father,  who 
did  with  her  according  to  his  vow  which  he  had 
vowed:  and  she  never  married. 

And  it  was  a  custom  in  Israel,  that  the  daugh- 
ters of  Israel  went  yearly  to  lament  the  daughter 
of  Jephthah  the  Gileadite  four  days  in  a  year. 

Judges,  10,  11 

Read  also  ''The  King  of  the  Trees,"''  Judges,  chap.  9 

SAMSON'S  RIDDLE 

And  llic  childron  of  Israel  did  evil  again  in  the 
siglil  of  the  Lord;  and  the  Lord  delivered  them 
into  I  he  hand  of  the  Philistines  forty  years. 


SAMSON'S  RIDDLE  221 

And  there  was  a  certain  man  of  Zorah,  of  tlie 
family  of  the  Danites,  wliose  name  was  Manoah; 
and  his  wife  bare  a  son,  and  called  his  name  Sam- 
son. And  the  child  grew,  and  the  Lord  blessed 
him.  And  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord  began  to  move 
him  at  times  in  the  camp  of  Dan. 

And  Samson  went  down  to  Timnath,  and  saw  a 
woman  in  Timnath  of  the  daughters  of  the  Philis- 
tines. And  he  came  up,  and  told  his  father  and  his 
mother,  and  said,  "I  have  seen  a  woman  in  Tim- 
nath of  the  daughters  of  the  Philistines.  Now 
therefore  get  her  for  me  to  wife." 

Then  his  father  and  his  mother  said  unto  him, 
"Is  there  never  a  woman  among  the  daughters  of 
thy  brethren,  or  among  all  my  people,  that  thou 
goest  to  take  a  wife  of  the  uncircumcised  Philis- 
tines?" And  Samson  said  unto  his  father,  "Get 
her  for  me;  for  she  pleaseth  me  well." 

But  his  father  and  his  mother  knew  not  that 
it  was  of  the  Lord,  that  he  sought  an  occasion 
against  the  Philistines:  for  at  that  time  the  Philis- 
tines had  dominion  over  Israel. 

Then  went  Samson  down,  and  his  father  and 
his  mother,  to  Timnath,  and  came  to  the  vine- 
yards of  Timnath.  And,  behold,  a  young  lion 
roared  against  him.  And  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord 
came  mightily  upon  him,  and  he  rent  him  as  he 
would  have  rent  a  kid,  and  he  had  nothing  in  his 
hand.    But  he  told  not  his  father  or  his  mother 


222  BIBLE   STORIES 

what  he  had  done.  And  he  went  down,  and  talked 
with  the  woman;  and  she  pleased  Samson  well. 

And  after  a  time  he  returned  to  take  her,  and 
he  turned  aside  to  see  the  carcase  of  the  lion. 
And,  behold,  there  was  a  swarm  of  bees  and  honey 
in  the  carcase  of  the  lion.  And  he  took  thereof  in 
his  hands,  and  went  on  eating,  and  came  to  his 
father  and  mother,  and  he  gave  them,  and  they 
did  eat.  But  he  told  not  them  that  he  had  taken 
the  honey  out  of  the  carcase  of  the  lion. 

So  his  father  went  down  unto  the  woman.  And 
Samson  made  there  a  feast;  for  so  used  the  young 
men  to  do. 

And  it  came  to  pass,  when  they  saw  him,  that 
they  brought  thirty  companions  to  be  with  him. 
And  Samson  said  unto  them,  "I  will  now  put 
forth  a  riddle  unto  you.  If  ye  can  certainly  declare 
it  me  within  the  seven  days  of  the  feast,  and  find 
it  out,  then  I  will  give  you  thirty  sheets  and  thirty 
change  of  garments.  But  if  ye  cannot  declare 
it  me,  then  shall  ye  give  me  thirty  sheets  and 
thirty  change  of  garments."  i\.nd  they  said  unto 
him,  "Put  forth  thy  riddle,  that  we  may  hear 
it." 

And  he  said  unto  them,  "Out  of  the  eater  came 
forth  meat,  and  out  of  the  strong  came  forth 
sweetness."  And  they  could  not  in  three  days 
expound  the  riddle. 

And  it  came  to  pass  on  the  seventh  day,  that 


SAMSON'S  RIDDLE  223 

they  said  unto  Samson's  wife,  "Entice  thy  hus- 
band, that  he  may  declare  unto  us  the  riiklle,  lest 
we  burn  thee  and  thy  father's  house  with  fire. 
Have  ye  called  us  to  take  that  we  have?  is  it 
not  so?" 

And  Samson's  wife  wept  before  him,  and  said, 
"  Thou  dost  but  hate  me,  and  lovest  me  not. 
Thou  hast  put  forth  a  riddle  unto  the  children 
of  my  people,  and  hast  not  told  it  me."  And 
he  said  unto  her,  "Behold,  I  have  not  told  it 
my  father  nor  my  mother,  and  shall  I  tell  it 
thee?" 

And  she  wept  before  him  the  seven  days,  while 
their  feast  lasted.  And  it  came  to  pass  on  the 
seventh  day,  that  he  told  her,  because  she  lay 
sore  upon  him.  And  she  told  the  riddle  to  the 
children  of  her  people. 

And  the  men  of  the  city  said  unto  him  on  the 
seventh  day  before  the  sun  went  down,  "What  is 
sweeter  than  honey?  and  what  is  stronger  than 
a  lion?"  And  he  said  unto  them,  "If  ye  had  not 
plowed  with  my  heifer,  ye  had  not  found  out  my 
riddle." 

And  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord  came  upon  him,  and 
he  went  down  to  Ashkelon,  and  slew  thirty  men 
of  them,  and  took  their  spoil,  and  gave  change  of 
garments  unto  them  which  expounded  the  rid- 
dle. And  his  anger  was  kindled,  and  he  went  up 
to  his  father's  house. 


024  BIBLE   STORIES 

But  Samson's  wife  was  given  to  his  companion, 
whom  he  had  used  as  his  friend. 

Judges,  14 

Read  "  How  the  Angel  Appeared  to  Manoah  and  His  Wife," 
Judges,  chap.  13 

"WITH  THE   JAWBONE   OF  AN  ASS, 
HEAPS  UPON   HEAPS!" 

Then  the  Philistines  went  up,  and  pitched  in 
Judah,  and  spread  themselves  in  Lehi.  And  the 
men  of  Judah  said,  "Why  are  ye  come  up  against 
us?"  And  they  answered,  "To  bind  Samson  are 
we  come  up,  to  do  to  him  as  he  hath  done  to  us," 

Then  three  thousand  men  of  Judah  went  to  the 
top  of  the  rock  Etam,  and  said  to  Samson, 
"Knowest  thou  not  that  the  Philistines  are  rulers 
over  us?  what  is  this  that  thou  hast  done  unto 
us?"  And  he  said  unto  them,  "  As  they  did  unto 
me,  so  have  I  done  unto  them." 

And  they  said  unto  him,  "We  are  come  down 
to  hind  thee,  that  we  may  deliver  thee  into  the 
hand  of  the  Philistines."  And  Samson  said  unto 
them,  "Swear  unto  me,  that  ye  will  not  fall  upon 
me  yourselves."  And  they  spake  unto  him,  say- 
ing, "No;  but  we  will  bind  thee  fast,  and  deliver 
thee  into  their  hand.  But  surely  we  will  not  kill 
thee."  And  they  bound  him  with  two  new  cords, 
and  brought  him  up  from  the  rock. 


*'WITH  THE  JAWBONE  OF  AN  ASS"    225 

And  when  he  came  unto  Lelii,  the  Philistines 
shouted  against  him:  and  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord 
came  mightily  upon  him,  and  the  cords  that  were 
upon  his  arms  became  as  flax  that  was  burnt  with 
fire,  and  his  bands  loosed  from  off  his  hands.  And 
he  found  a  new  jawbone  of  an  ass,  and  put  forth 
his  hand,  and  took  it,  and  slew  a  thousand  men 
therewith. 

And  Samson  said,  "With  the  jawbone  of  an 
ass,  heaps  upon  heaps,  with  the  jaw  of  an  ass  have 
I  slain  a  thousand  men! "  And  it  came  to  pass, 
when  he  had  made  an  end  of  speaking,  that  he 
cast  away  the  jawbone  out  of  his  hand,  and  called 
that  place  Ramath-lehi  (that  is  the  Hill  of  the 
Jawbone). 

And  he  was  sore  athirst,  and  called  on  the 
Lord,  and  said,  "Thou  hast  given  this  great  de- 
liverance: into  the  hand  of  thy  servant:  and  now 
shall  I  die  for  thirst,  and  fall  into  the  hand  of  the 
uncircumcised.'^ " 

But  God  clave  an  hollow  place  that  was  in  the 
jaw,  and  there  came  water  thereout;  and  when  he 
had  drunk,  his  spirit  came  again,  and  he  revived. 

And  he  judged  Israel  in  the  days  of  the  Philis- 
tines twenty  years. 

Judges,  15 

Read  the  story  of  "  The  Foxes  and  the  Firebramls,"  Judges, 
chap.  15,  verses  1-8 


226  BIBLE   STORIES 

SAMSON  THE  MIGHTY  AND  THE 
GATE   OF   GAZA 

Then  went  Samson  to  Gaza.  And  it  was  told 
the  Gazites,  saying,  "Samson  is  come  hither." 
And  they  compassed  him  in,  and  laid  wait  for 
him  all  night  in  the  gate  of  the  city,  and  were 
quiet  all  the  night,  saying,  "In  the  morning,  when 
it  is  day,  we  shall  kill  him," 

And  Samson  lay  till  midnight,  and  arose  at 
midnight,  and  took  the  doors  of  the  gate  of  the 
city,  and  the  two  posts,  and  went  away  with 
them,  bar  and  all,  and  put  them  upon  his  shoul- 
ders, and  carried  them  up  to  the  top  of  an  hill 
that  is  before  Hebron. 

Judges,  16 

"THE  PHILISTINES  BE  UPON  THEE, 
SAMSON!" 

And  it  came  to  pass  afterward,  that  he  loved 
a  woman  in  the  valley  of  Sorek,  whose  name  was 
Delilah.  And  the  lords  of  the  Philistines  came  up 
unto  her,  and  said  unto  her,  "Entice  him,  and  see 
wherein  his  groat  strength  lieth,  and  by  what 
mejiiis  we  may  prevail  against  him,  that  we  may 
bind  him  to  afflict  him.  And  we  will  give  thee 
every  one  of  us  eleven  hundred  pieces  of  silver.** 

And  Delilah  said  to  Samson,  "Tell  me,  I  pray 


SAJMSON  AND  THE  PHILISTINES    227 

thee,  wherein  thy  great  strength  Heth,  and  where- 
with thou  mightest  be  bound  to  afflict  thee."  And 
Samson  said  unto  her,  "If  they  bind  me  with 
seven  green  withs  that  were  never  dried,  then 
shall  I  be  weak,  and  be  as  another  man." 

Then  the  lords  of  the  Philistines  brought  up  to 
her  seven  green  withs  which  had  not  been  dried, 
and  she  bound  him  with  them.  Now  there  were 
men  lying  in  wait,  abiding  with  her  in  the  cham- 
ber. And  she  said  unto  him,  "The  Philistines  be 
upon  thee,  Samson!  "  And  he  brake  the  withs,  as 
a  thread  of  tow  is  broken  when  it  toucheth  the 
fire.   So  his  strength  was  not  known. 

And  Delilah  said  unto  Samson,  "Behold,  thou 
hast  mocked  me,  and  told  me  lies.  Now  tell  me,  I 
pray  thee,  wherewith  thou  mightest  be  bound." 
And  he  said  unto  her,  "If  they  bind  me  fast  with 
new  ropes  that  never  were  occupied,  then  shall  I 
be  weak,  and  be  as  another  man." 

Delilah  therefore  took  new  ropes,  and  liound 
him  therewith,  and  said  unto  him,  "The  Philis- 
tines be  upon  thee,  Samson!"  And  there  were 
liers  in  wait  abiding  in  the  chamber.  And  he 
brake  them  from  off  his  arms  like  a  thread. 

And  Delilah  said  unto  Samson,  "Hitherto  thou 
hast  mocked  me,  and  told  me  lies.  Tell  me  where- 
with thou  mightest  be  bound."  And  he  said  unto 
her,  "If  thou  weavest  the  seven  locks  of  my 
head  with  the  web." 


228  BIBLE   STORIES 

And  she  fastened  it  with  the  pin,  and  said  unto 
him,  "The  Phihstines  be  upon  thee,  Samson!" 
And  he  awaked  out  of  his  sleep,  and  went  away 
with  the  pin  of  the  beam,  and  with  the  web. 

And  she  said  unto  him,  "How  canst  thou  say, 
'I  love  thee,'  when  thine  heart  is  not  with  me? 
thou  hast  mocked  me  these  three  times,  and  hast 
not  told  me  wherein  thy  great  strength  lieth." 

And  it  came  to  pass,  when  she  pressed  him 
daily  with  her  words,  and  urged  him,  so  that  his 
soul  was  vexed  unto  death;  that  he  told  her  all 
his  heart,  and  said  unto  her,  "There  hath  not 
come  a  razor  upon  mine  head;  for  I  have  been  a 
Nazarite  unto  God  from  my  birth.  If  I  be  shaven, 
then  my  strength  will  go  from  me,  and  I  shall  be- 
come weak,  and  be  like  any  other  man." 

And  when  Delilah  saw  that  he  had  told  her  all 
his  heart,  she  sent  and  called  for  the  lords  of  the 
Philistines,  saying,  "Come  up  this  once,  for  he 
hath  shewed  me  all  his  heart."  Then  the  ords  of 
the  Philistines  came  up  unto  her,  and  brought 
money  in  their  hand. 

And  she  made  him  sleep  upon  her  knees;  and 
she  called  for  a  man,  and  she  caused  him  to  shave 
off  the  seven  locks  of  his  head.  And  she  began  to 
afflict  him,  and  his  strength  went  from  him.  And 
she  said,  "The  Philistines  be  upon  thee,  Samson! " 
And  he  awoke  out  of  his  sleep,  and  said,  "  I  will  go 
out  as  at  other  times  before,  and  shake  myself." 


SAMSON  AND  THE  PHILISTINES    229 

And  he  wist  not  that  the  Lord  was  departed  from 
him. 

But  the  PhiHstines  took  him,  and  put  out  his 
eyes,  and  brought  him  down  to  Gaza,  and  l)ound 
him  with  fetters  of  brass;  and  he  did  grind  in  the 
prison  house. 

Howbeit  the  hair  of  his  head  began  to  grow 
again  after  he  was  shaven. 

Then  the  lords  of  the  PhiHstines  gathered  them 
together  for  to  offer  a  great  sacrifice  unto  Dagon 
their  god,  and  to  rejoice:  for  they  said,  "Our  god 
hath  delivered  Samson  our  enemy  into  our  hand." 
And  when  the  people  saw  him,  they  praised  their 
god:  for  they  said,  "Our  god  hath  delivered  into 
our  hands  our  enemy,  and  the  destroyer  of  our 
coimtry,  which  slew  many  of  us." 

And  it  came  to  pass,  when  their  hearts  were 
merry,  that  they  said,  "Call  for  Samson,  that  he 
may  make  us  sport."  And  they  called  for  Samson 
out  of  the  prison  house;  and  he  made  them  sport. 
And  they  set  him  between  the  pillars. 

And  Samson  said  unto  the  lad  that  held  him  by 
the  hand,  "Suffer  me  that  I  may  feel  the  pillars 
whereupon  the  house  standeth,  that  I  may  lean 
upon  them."  Now  the  house  was  full  of  men  and 
women;  and  all  the  lords  of  the  Philistines  were 
there;  and  there  were  upon  the  roof  about  three 
thousand  men  and  women,  that  beheld  while 
Samson  made  sport. 


^,30  BIBLE  STORIES 

And  Samson  called  unto  the  Lord,  and  said, 
"O  Lord  God,  remember  me,  I  pray  thee,  and 
strengthen  me,  I  pray  thee,  only  this  once,  O 
God,  that  I  may  be  at  once  avenged  of  the  Philis- 
tines for  my  two  eyes." 

And  Samson  took  hold  of  the  two  middle  pillars 
upon  which  the  house  stood,  and  on  which  it  was 
borne  up,  of  the  one  with  his  right  hand,  and  of  the 
other  with  his  left.  And  Samson  said,  "  Let  me  die 
with  the  Philistines."  And  he  bowed  himself  with 
all  his  might;  and  the  house  fell  upon  the  lords, 
and  upon  all  the  people  that  were  therein.  So  the 
dead  which  he  slew  at  his  death  were  more  than 
they  which  he  slew  in  his  life. 

Then  his  brethren  and  all  the  house  of  his 
father  came  down,  and  took  him,  and  brought 
him  up,  and  buried  him  between  Zorah  and  Esh- 
taol  in  the  buryingplace  of  Manoah  his  father. 
And  he  judged  Israel  twenty  years. 

Judges,  16 

THE   GENTILE  DAUGHTER 

Now  it  came  to  pass  in  the  days  when  the 
judges  ruled,  that  there  was  a  famine  in  the  land. 
And  a  certain  man  of  Beth-lehem-judah  went  to 
sojourn  in  the  country  of  jVIoab,  he,  and  his  wife, 
and  his  two  sons.  And  the  name  of  the  man  was 
Elimelcch,  and  the  name  of  his  wife  Naomi,  and 


THE   GENTILE  DAUGHTER      231 

the  name  of  his  two  sons  Mahlon  and  Chilion, 
Ephrathites  of  Beth-lehem-judah.  And  they 
came  into  the  country  of  Moab,  and  continued 
there. 

And  Elimelech  Naomi's  husband  died;  and  she 
(vas  left,  and  her  two  sons.  And  they  took  them 
wives  of  the  women  of  Moab ;  the  name  of  the  one 
was  Orpah,  and  the  name  of  the  other  Ruth.  And 
they  dwelled  there  about  ten  years.  And  Mahlon 
and  Chilion  died  also  both  of  them;  and  the  wo- 
man was  left  of  her  two  sons  and  her  husband. 

Then  she  arose  with  her  daughters  in  law,  that 
she  might  return  from  the  country  of  Moab:  for 
she  had  heard  in  the  country  of  Moab  how  that 
the  Lord  had  visited  his  people  in  giving  them 
bread.  Wherefore  she  went  forth  out  of  the  place 
where  she  was,  and  her  two  daughters  in  law  with 
her;  and  they  went  on  the  way  to  return  unto  the 
land  of  Judah. 

And  Naomi  said  unto  her  two  daughters  in 
law,  "Go,  return  each  to  her  mother's  house.  The 
Lord  deal  kindly  with  you,  as  ye  have  dealt  with 
the  dead,  and  with  me.  The  Lord  grant  you  that 
ye  may  find  rest,  each  of  you  in  the  house  of  her 
husband."  Then  she  kissed  them;  and  they  lifted 
up  their  voice,  and  wept. 

And  they  said  unto  her,  "Surely  we  will  return 
with  thee  unto  thy  people." 

And  Naomi  said,  "Turn  again,  my  daughters. 


232  BIBLE   STORIES 

"Why  will  ye  go  with  me?  Turn  again,  my  daugh- 
ters, go  your  way.  It  grieveth  me  much  for  your 
sakes  that  the  hand  of  the  Lord  is  gone  out 
against  me." 

And  they  lifted  up  their  voice,  and  wept  again. 
And  Orpah  kissed  her  mother  in  law;  but  Ruth 
clave  unto  her. 

And  she  said,  "Behold,  thy  sister  in  law  is  gone 
back  unto  her  people,  and  unto  her  gods.  Return 
thou  after  thy  sister  in  law." 

And  Ruth  said,  "  Intreat  me  not  to  leave  thee, 
or  to  return  from  following  after  thee.  For 
whither  thou  gocst,  I  will  go;  and  where  thou 
lodgest,  I  will  lodge.  Thy  people  shall  be  my  peo- 
ple, and  thy  God  my  God.  Where  thou  diest,  will 
I  die,  and  there  will  I  be  buried.  The  Lord  do  so 
to  me,  and  more  also,  if  ought  but  death  part  thee 
and  me." 

When  she  saw  that  she  was  stedfastly  minded 
to  go  with  her,  then  she  left  speaking  unto  her. 
So  they  two  went  until  they  came  to  Beth-lehem. 
And  it  came  to  pass,  when  they  were  come  to 
Bclli-lehcm,  that  all  the  city  was  moved  about 
them,  and  they  said,  *'Is  this  Naomi?" 

And  she  said  unto  them,  "Call  me  not  Naomi, 
(meaning  Pleasant)  call  me  Mara,  (that  is.  Bitter) : 
for  the  Almighty  hath  dealt  very  bitterly  with 
me.  I  went  out  full,  and  the  Lord  hath  brought 
me   home  again  empty:   why   then  call  ye  me 


RUTH   IN  THE   FIELD   OF  BOAZ    233 

Naomi,  seeing  the  Lord  Iiatli  testified  against  me, 
and  the  Almighty  hath  afflicted  me?" 

So  Naomi  returned,  and  Ruth  the  Moabitess, 
her  daughter  in  law,  with  her,  which  returned  out 
of  the  country  of  Moab :  and  they  came  to  Beth- 
lehem in  the  beginning  of  barley  harvest, 

Ruth,  1 


HOW  RUTH  GLEANED  IN  THE 
FIELD    OF   BOAZ 

And  Naomi  had  a  kinsman  of  her  husband's, 
a  mighty  man  of  wealth,  of  the  family  of  Elime- 
lech;  and  his  name  was  Boaz. 

And  Ruth  the  Moabitess  said  unto  Naomi, 
"Let  me  now  go  to  the  field,  and  glean  ears  of 
corn  after  him  in  whose  sight  I  shall  find  grace." 
And  she  said  unto  her,  "Go,  my  daughter." 

And  she  went,  and  came,  and  gleaned  in  the 
field  after  the  reapers.  And  her  hap  was  to  light 
on  a  part  of  the  field  belonging  unto  Boaz,  who 
was  of  the  kindred  of  Elimelech.  And,  behold, 
Boaz  came  from  Beth-lehem,  and  said  unto  the 
reapers,  "The  Lord  be  with  you."  And  they  an- 
swered him,  "The  Lord  bless  thee." 

Then  said  Boaz  unto  his  servant  that  was  set 
over  the  reapers,  "Whose  damsel  is  this?" 

And  the  servant  that  was  set  over  the  reapers 
answered  and  said,  "It  is  the  Moabitish  damsel 


234  BIBLE  STORIES 

that  came  back  with  Naomi  out  of  the  country  of 
Moab.  And  she  said,  'I  pray  you,  let  me  glean 
and  gather  after  the  reapers  among  the  sheaves.' 
So  she  came,  and  hath  continued  even  from  the 
morning  until  now,  that  she  tarried  a  little  in 
the  house." 

Then  said  Boaz  unto  Ruth,  "Hearest  thou  not, 
my  daughter.''  Go  not  to  glean  in  another  field, 
neither  go  from  hence,  but  abide  here  fast  by  my 
maidens.  Let  thine  eyes  be  on  the  field  that  they 
do  reap,  and  go  thou  after  them.  Have  I  not 
charged  the  young  men  that  they  shall  not  touch 
thee.''  xA.nd  when  thou  art  athirst,  go  unto  the 
vessels,  and  drink  of  that  which  the  young  men 
have  drawn." 

Then  she  fell  on  her  face,  and  bowed  herself  to 
the  ground,  and  said  unto  him,  "Why  have  I 
found  grace  in  thine  eyes,  that  thou  shouldest 
take  knowledge  of  me,  seeing  I  am  a  stranger?  " 

And  Boaz  answered  and  said  unto  her,  "It  hath 
fully  been  shewed  me,  all  that  thou  hast  done 
unto  thy  mother  in  law  since  the  death  of  thine 
husband.  And  how  thou  hast  left  thy  father  and 
thy  mother,  and  the  land  of  thy  nativity,  and  art 
come  unto  a  people  which  thou  knewest  not  here- 
tofore. The  Lord  recompense  thy  work,  and  a 
full  reward  be  given  thee  of  the  Lord  God  of 
Israel,  under  whose  wings  thou  art  come  to 
trust." 


RUTH   IN  THE   FIELD   OF  BOAZ    235 

Then  she  said,  "Let  me  find  favour  in  iliy  siglit, 
my  lord ;  for  that  thou  hast  comforted  me,  and 
for  that  thou  hast  spoken  friendly  unto  thine 
handmaid,  though  I  be  not  like  unto  one  of 
thine  handmaidens." 

And  Boaz  said  unto  her,  "At  mealtime  come 
thou  hither,  and  eat  of  the  bread,  and  dip  thy 
morsel  in  the  vinegar."  And  she  sat  beside  the 
reapers;  and  he  reached  her  parched  corn,  and 
she  did  eat,  and  was  sufficed,  and  left. 

And  when  she  was  risen  up  to  glean,  Boaz  com- 
manded his  young  men,  saying,  "Let  her  glean 
even  among  the  sheaves,  and  reproach  her  not. 
And  let  fall  also  some  of  the  handfuls  of  pur- 
pose for  her,  and  leave  them,  that  she  may  glean 
them,  and  rebuke  her  not." 

So  she  gleaned  in  the  field  until  even,  and  beat 
out  that  she  had  gleaned:  and  it  was  about  an 
ephah  of  barley.  And  she  took  it  up,  and  went 
into  the  city :  and  her  mother  in  law  saw  what  she 
had  gleaned.  And  she  brought  forth,  and  gave  to 
her  that  she  had  reserved  after  she  was  sufficed. 

And  her  mother  in  law  said  unto  her,  "Where 
hast  thou  gleaned  to  day.''  and  where  wrought- 
est  thou.?  Blessed  be  he  that  did  take  knowledge 
of  thee." 

And  she  shewed  her  mother  in  law  with  whom 
she  had  wrought,  and  said,  "The  man's  name 
with  whom  I  wrought  to  day  is  Boaz." 


236  BIBLE  STORIES 

And  Naomi  said  unto  her  daughter  in  law, 
"Blessed  be  he  of  the  Lord,  who  hath  not  left  off 
liis  kindness  to  the  living  and  to  the  dead."  And 
Naomi  said  unto  her,  "The  man  is  near  of  kin 
unto  us,  one  of  our  next  kinsmen." 

And  Ruth  the  Moabitess  said,  "He  said  unto 
me  also,  'Thou  shalt  keep  fast  by  my  young  men, 
until  they  have  ended  all  my  harvest.'" 

And  Naomi  said  unto  Ruth  her  daughter  in 
law,  "It  is  good,  my  daughter,  that  thou  go  out 
with  his  maidens,  that  they  meet  thee  not  in  any 
other  field." 

So  she  kept  fast  by  the  maidens  of  Boaz  to 
glean  unto  the  end  of  barley  harvest  and  of  wheat 
harvest;  and  dwelt  with  her  mother  in  law. 

Ruth,  2 

For  more  about  Ruth  and  Boaz,  read  chaps.  3  and  4  of  the 
Book  of  Ruth 

THE   CHILD  SAMUEL 

Now  there  was  a  certain  man  of  mount  Eph- 
raim,  and  his  name  was  Elkanah,  and  he  had  two 
wives;  the  name  of  the  one  was  Hannah,  and 
Hannah  ])are  a  son,  and  called  his  name  Samuel, 
saying,  "Because  I  have  asked  him  of  the 
Lord." 

And  when  she  had  weaned  him,  she  took  him 
up  willi  her,  with  three  bullocks,  and  one  ephah  of 


THE   CHILD   SAMUEL  237 

flour,  and  a  bottle  of  wino,  and  brought  him  unto 
the  house  of  the  Lord  in  Shiloh:  and  the  child 
was  young.  And  they  slew  a  bullock,  and  brought 
the  child  to  Eli.  And  she  said,  "O  my  lord,  as  thy 
soul  liveth,  my  lord,  I  am  the  woman  that  stood 
by  thee  here,  praying  unto  the  Lord.  For  this 
child  I  prayed;  and  the  Lord  hath  given  me  my 
petition  which  I  asked  of  him.  Therefore  also  I 
have  lent  him  to  the  Lord ;  as  long  as  he  liveth  he 
shall  be  lent  to  the  Lord." 

And  Samuel  ministered  before  the  Lord,  being 
a  child,  girded  with  a  linen  ephod.  Moreover  his 
mother  made  him  a  little  coat,  and  brought  it  to 
him  from  j^ear  to  year,  when  she  came  up  with 
her  husband  to  offer  the  yearly  sacrifice. 

And  the  child  Samuel  ministered  unto  the  Lord 
before  Eli.  And  the  word  of  the  Lord  was  pre- 
cious in  those  days;  there  was  no  open  vision. 
And  it  came  to  pass  at  that  time,  when  Eli  was 
laid  down  in  his  place,  and  his  eyes  began  to  wax 
dim,  that  he  could  not  see;  and  ere  the  lamp  of 
God  went  out  in  the  temple  of  the  Lord,  where 
the  ark  of  God  was,  and  Samuel  was  laid  down  to 
sleep;  that  the  Lord  called  Samuel:  and  he  an- 
swered, "Here  am  I."  And  he  ran  unto  Eli,  and 
said,  "Here  am  I;  for  thou  calledst  me."  And  he 
said,  "I  called  not;  lie  down  again."  And  he  went 
and  lay  down. 

And  the  Lord  called  yet  again,  "Samuel."  And 


238  BIBLE   STORIES 

Samuel  arose  and  went  to  Eli,  and  said,  "Here  am 
I;  for  thou  didst  call  me."  And  he  answered,  "I 
called  not,  my  son;  lie  down  again." 

Now  Samuel  did  not  yet  know  the  Lord,  nei- 
ther was  the  word  of  the  Lord  yet  revealed  unto 
him.  And  the  Lord  called  Samuel  again  the  third 
time.  And  he  arose  and  went  to  Eli,  and  said, 
"Here  am  I;  for  thou  didst  call  me."  And  EH 
perceived  that  the  Lord  had  called  the  child. 
Therefore  Eli  said  unto  Samuel,  "Go,  lie  down: 
and  it  shall  be,  if  he  call  thee,  that  thou  shalt 
say,  'Speak,  Lord;  for  thy  servant  heareth.'"  So 
Samuel  went  and  lay  down  in  his  place. 

And  the  Lord  came,  and  stood,  and  called  as  at 
other  times,  "Samuel,  Samuel."  Then  Samuel 
answered,  "Speak;  for  thy  servant  heareth."  And 
the  Lord  said  to  Samuel,  "Behold,  I  will  do  a 
thing  in  Israel,  at  which  both  the  ears  of  every 
one  that  heareth  it  shall  tingle.  In  that  day  I  will 
perform  against  Eli  all  things  which  I  have  spoken 
concerning  his  house:  when  I  begin,  I  will  also 
make  an  end.  For  I  have  told  him  that  I  will 
judge  his  house  for  ever  for  the  iniquity  which  he 
knoweth :  because  his  sons  made  themselves  vile, 
and  he  restrained  them  not.  And  therefore  I  have 
sworn  unto  the  house  of  I^li,  that  the  iniquity  of 
Eli's  house  shall  not  be  purged  with  sacrifice  nor 
offering  for  ever." 

And  Samuel  lay  until  the  morning,  and  opened 


THE   CHILD  SAMUEL  239 

the  doors  of  the  house  of  the  Lord.   And  Samuel 
feared  to  shew  EH  the  vision. 

Then  Eli  calked  Samuel,  and  said,  "Samuel,  my 
son."  And  he  answered,  "Here  am  I."  And  he 
said,  "What  is  the  thing  that  the  Lord  hath  said 
unto  thee.?  I  pray  thee  hide  it  not  from  me:  God 
do  so  to  thee,  and  more  also,  if  thou  hide  any 
thing  from  me  of  all  the  things  that  he  said  unto 
thee."  And  Samuel  told  him  every  whit,  and  hid 
nothing  from  him.  And  he  said,  "It  is  the  Lord: 
let  him  do  what  seemeth  him  good." 

And  Samuel  grew,  and  the  Lord  was  with  him, 
and  did  let  none  of  his  words  fall  to  the  ground. 
And  all  Israel  from  Dan  even  to  Beer-sheba  knew 
that  Samuel  was  established  to  be  a  prophet  of 
the  Lord.  And  the  Lord  appeared  again  in  Shiloh : 
for  the  Lord  revealed  himself  to  Samuel  in  Shiloh 
by  the  word  of  the  Lord. 

1  Samuel,  1,  2,  3 

Read  "  How  Hannah's  Prayer  Was  Answered"  1  Samxiel, 
chap.  1;  "  Hoio  the  Philistines  Took  the  Ark  of  the  Lord," 
1  Samuel,  chaps.  5  and  6 


dk  Vmz  fcatKm^s 


When  thou  art  come  unto  the  land  which  the  Lord  thy  God 
giveth  thee,  and  shalt  possa-s  it,  and  shalt  dwell  therein,  and 
shalt  say,  "  /  ivill  set  a  Icing  over  me,  like  as  all  the  nations  that 
are  about  me;"  thou  shalt  in  anii  wise  set  him  king  over  thee, 
whom  the  Lord  thy  God  shall  choose:  one  from  among  thy 
brethren  shalt  thou  set  king  over  thee:  thou  mayest  not  set  a 
stranger  over  thee,  which  is  not  thy  brother. 

Deuteronomy,  17 


NAY,  BUT  \YE  WILL  HAVE  A  KING 
OVER  US!" 

ND  it  came  to  pass,  when  Samuel  was  old, 
that  he  made  his  sons  judges  over  Israel. 
And  his  sons  walked  not  in  his  ways,  but 
turned  aside  after  lucre,  and  took  bribes,  and 
perverted  judgment. 
Then  all  the  elders  of  Israel  gathered  them- 
selves together,  and  came  to  Samuel  unto  Ramah, 
and  said  unto  him,  "  Behold,  thou  art  old,  and 
thy  sons  walk  not  in  thy  ways:  now  make  us 
a  king  to  judge  us  like  all  the  nations." 

But  the  thing  displeased  Samuel,  when  they 
said,  "Give  us  a  king  to  judge  us."  And  Samuel 
prayed  unto  the  Lord.  And  the  Lord  said  unto 
Samuel,  "Hearken  unto  the  voice  of  the  people  in 
all  that  they  say  unto  thee.  For  they  have  not 
rejected  thee,  but  they  have  rejected  me,  that  I 
should  not  reign  over  them.  According  to  all  the 
works  which  they  have  done  since  the  day  that 
I  brought  them  up  out  of  Egypt  even  unto  this 
day,  wherewith  they  have  forsaken  me,  and 
served  other  gods,  so  do  they  also  unto  thee.  Now 
therefore  hearken  unto  their  voice:  howbeit  yet 
protest  solemnly  unto  them,  and  shew  them  the 
manner  of  the  king  that  shall  reign  over  them."   . 


244  BIBLE   STORIES 

And  Samuel  told  all  the  words  of  the  Lord  unto 
the  people  that  asked  of  him  a  king.  And  he  said, 
*'This  will  be  the  manner  of  the  king  that  shall 
reign  over  you.  He  will  take  your  sons,  and  ap- 
point them  for  himself,  for  his  chariots,  and  to  be 
his  horsemen;  and  some  shall  run  before  his  char- 
iots. And  he  will  appoint  him  captains  over  thou- 
sands, and  captains  over  fifties;  and  will  set  them 
to  ear  his  ground,  and  to  reap  his  harvest,  and  to 
make  his  instruments  of  war,  and  instruments  of 
his  chariots.  And  he  will  take  your  daughters  to 
be  confectionaries,  and  to  be  cooks,  and  to  be 
bakers.  And  he  will  take  your  fields,  and  your 
vineyards,  and  your  oliveyards,  even  the  best  of 
them,  and  give  them  to  his  servants.  And  he  will 
take  the  tenth  of  your  seed,  and  of  your  vineyards, 
and  give  to  his  officers,  and  to  his  servants.  And 
he  will  take  your  menservants,  and  your  maid- 
servants, and  your  goodliest  young  men,  and  your 
asses,  and  put  them  to  his  work.  He  will  take  the 
tenth  of  your  sheep.  And  ye  shall  be  his  servants. 
And  ye  shall  cry  out  in  that  day  because  of  your 
king  which  ye  shall  have  chosen  you;  and  the 
Lord  will  not  hear  you  in  that  day." 

Nevertheless  the  people  refused  to  obey  the 
voice  of  Samuel;  and  they  said,  "  Nay;  but  we  will 
have  a  king  over  us;  that  we  also  ma}'  be  like  all 
the  nations;  and  that  our  king  may  judge  us,  and 
go  out  before  us,  and  fight  our  battles." 


GOLIATH  THE   GIANT  245 

And  Samuel  heard  all  the  words  of  the  people, 
and  he  rehearsed  them  in  the  ears  of  the  Lord. 
And  the  Lord  said  to  Samuel,  "Hearken  unto 
their  voice,  and  make  them  a  king."  And  Samuel 
said  unto  the  men  of  Israel,  "  Go  ye  every  man 
unto  his  city." 

1  Samuel,  8 

Some  of  the  interesting  stories  ahovt  the  first  king,  are  "  FFow 
Saul  Was  Made  King,"  1  Samuel,  chaps  0, 10,  and  11;  "How 
Saul  Disobeijed  God,"  1  Samuel,  chap.  13;  "How  Saul  Dis- 
obeyed God  a  Second  Time,"  1  Samuel,  chap.  15;  "  How  Samuel 
Wa^  Forced  to  Anoint  David,"  1  Samuel,  chap.  16 

GOLIATH  THE   GIANT 

Now  there  was  a  man  of  Benjamin,  whose 
name  was  Kish,  a  mighty  man  of  power.  And  he 
had  a  son,  whose  name  was  Saul,  a  choice  young 
man,  and  a  goodly.  And  there  was  not  among  the 
children  of  Israel  a  goodlier  person  than  he.  From 
his  shoulders  and  upward  he  was  higher  than  any 
of  the  people. 

Then  Samuel  took  a  vial  of  oil,  and  poured  it 
upon  his  head,  and  kissed  him,  and  said,  "Is  it 
not  because  the  Lord  hath  anointed  thee  to  be 
captain  over  his  inheritance?" 

And  Samuel  said  to  all  the  peoj)le,  "  See  ye 
him  whom  the  Lord  hath  chosen,  that  there  is 


246  BIBLE  STORIES 

none  like  him  among  all  the  people?  "  And  all  the 
people  shouted,  and  said,  "  God  save  the  king!  " 
Then  Samuel  told  the  people  the  manner  of  the 
kingdom,  and  wrote  it  in  a  book,  and  laid  it  up 
before  the  Lord.  And  Samuel  sent  all  the  people 
away,  every  man  to  his  house. 

Now  the  Philistines  gathered  together  their 
armies  to  battle,  and  were  gathered  together  at 
Shochoh,  which  belongeth  to  Judah,  and  pitched  in 
Ephes-dammim.  And  Saul  and  the  men  of  Israel 
were  gathered  together,  and  pitched  by  the  val- 
ley of  Elah,  and  set  the  battle  in  array  against 
the  Philistines.  And  the  Philistines  stood  on  a 
mountain  on  the  one  side,  and  Israel  stood  on 
a  mountain  on  the  other  side:  and  there  was  a 
valley  between  them. 

And  there  went  out  a  champion  out  of  the 
camp  of  the  Philistines,  named  Goliath,  of  Gatli, 
whose  height  was  six  cubits  and  a  si)an.  And  he 
had  an  helmet  of  brass  upon  his  head,  and  he  was 
armed  with  a  coat  of  mail ;  and  the  weight  of  the 
coat  was  five  thousand  shekels  of  brass.  And  he 
had  greaves  of  brass  upon  his  legs,  and  a  target  of 
brass  between  his  shoulders.  And  the  staff  of  his 
spear  was  like  a  weaver's  beam;  and  his  spear's 
head  weighed  six  hundred  shekels  of  iron.  And 
one  bearing  a  shield  went  before  him. 

And  he  stood  and  cried  unto  the  armies  of  Is- 


DAVID'S  BATTLE  WITH  GOLIATH    247 

rael,  and  said  unto  them,  "  Why  are  ye  come  out 
to  set  your  battle  in  array?  am  not  I  a  Pliilistine, 
and  ye  servants  to  Saul?  choose  you  a  man  for 
you,  and  let  him  come  down  to  me.  If  he  be  able 
to  fight  with  me,  and  to  kill  me,  then  will  we  be 
your  servants.  But  if  I  prevail  against  him,  and 
kill  him,  then  shall  ye  be  our  servants,  and  serve 
us."  And  the  Philistine  said,  "I  defy  the  armies 
of  Israel  this  day.  Give  me  a  man,  that  we  may 
fight  together." 

When  Saul  and  all  Israel  heard  those  words  of 
the  Philistine,  they  were  dismayed,  and  greatly 
afraid. 

1  Samuel,  9,  10,  17 

DAVID'S  BATTLE  WITH  GOLIATH 

Now  David  was  the  son  of  that  Ephrathite  of 
Beth-lehem-judah,  whose  name  was  Jesse;  and  he 
had  eight  sons.  And  the  man  went  among  men 
for  an  old  man  in  the  days  of  Saul.  And  the  three 
eldest  sons  of  Jesse  went  and  followed  Saul  to  the 
battle.  And  David  was  the  youngest:  and  the 
three  eldest  followed  Saul.  But  David  went  and 
returned  from  Saul  to  feed  his  father's  sheep  at 
Beth-lehem. 

And  the  Philistine  drew  near  morning  and 
evening,  and  presented  himself  forty  days. 

And  Jesse  said  unto  David  his  son,  "Take  now 


248  BIBLE   STORIES 

for  thy  brethren  an  ephah  of  this  parched  corn, 
and  these  ten  loaves,  and  run  to  the  camp  to  thy 
brethren.  And  carry  these  ten  cheeses  unto  the 
captain  of  their  thousand,  and  look  how  thy 
brethren  fare,  and  take  their  pledge."  Now  Saul, 
and  they,  and  all  the  men  of  Israel,  were  in  the 
valley  of  Elah,  fighting  with  the  Philistines. 

And  David  rose  up  early  in  the  morning,  and 
left  the  sheep  with  a  keeper,  and  took,  and  went, 
as  Jesse  had  commanded  him.  And  he  came  to 
the  trench,  as  the  host  was  going  forth  to  the 
fight,  and  shouted  for  the  battle.  For  Israel  and 
the  Philistines  had  put  the  battle  in  array,  army 
against  army. 

And  David  left  his  carriage  in  the  hand  of  the 
keeper  of  the  carriage,  and  ran  into  the  army,  and 
came  and  saluted  his  brethren.  And  as  he  talked 
with  them,  behold,  there  came  up  the  champion, 
the  Philistine  of  Gath,  Goliath  by  name,  out  of 
the  armies  of  the  Philistines,  and  spake  according 
to  the  same  words:  and  David  heard  them. 

And  all  the  men  of  Israel,  when  they  saw  the 
man,  fled  from  him,  and  were  sore  afraid.  And 
the  men  of  Israel  said,  "  Have  ye  seen  this  man 
that  is  come  up.'^  surely  to  defy  Israel  is  he  come 
up.  And  it  shall  be,  that  the  man  who  killeth  him, 
the  king  will  enrich  him  with  great  riches,  and 
will  give  him  his  daughter,  and  make  his  father's 
house  free  in  Israel." 


DAVID'S  BATTLE  WITH  GOLIATH    249 

And  David  spcake  to  tlie  men  that  stood  by 
him,  saying,  "What  shal)  be  done  to  the  man  that 
killeth  this  PhiHstine,  and  taketh  away  the  re- 
proach from  Israel?  for  who  is  this  uncircumcised 
PhiHstine,  that  he  should  defy  the  armies  of  the 
living  God?"  And  the  people'answered  him  after 
this  manner,  saying,  "So  shall  it  be  done  to  the 
man  that  killeth  him." 

And  Eliab  his  eldest  brother  heard  when  he 
spake  unto  the  men;  and  Eliab 's  anger  was  kin- 
dled against  David,  and  he  said,  "  Wliy  camest 
thou  down  hither?  and  with  whom  hast  thou  left 
those  few  sheep  in  the  wilderness?  I  know  thy 
pride,  and  the  naughtiness  of  thine  heart ;  for  thou 
art  come  down  that  thou  mightest  see  the  battle." 

And  David  said,  "  What  have  I  now  done?  Is 
there  not  a  cause?"  And  he  turned  from  him 
toward  another,  and  spake  after  the  same  man- 
ner: and  the  people  answered  him  again  after  the 
former  manner.  And  when  the  words  were  heard 
which  David  spake,  they  rehearsed  them  before 
Saul:  and  he  sent  for  him. 

And  David  said  to  Saul,  "Let  no  man's  heart 
fail  because  of  him;  thy  servant  will  go  and  fight 
with  this  Philistine." 

And  Saul  said  to  David,  "  Thou  art  not  able  to 
go  against  this  Philistine  to  fight  with  him:  for 
thou  art  but  a  youth,  and  he  a  man  of  war  from 
his  youth." 


250  BIBLE   STORIES 

And  David  said  unto  Saul,  "  Thy  servant  kept 
his  father's  sheep,  and  there  came  a  Hon,  and  a 
bear,  and  took  a  lamb  out  of  the  flock.  And  I 
went  out  after  him,  and  smote  him,  and  delivered 
it  out  of  his  mouth.  And  when  he  arose  against 
me,  I  caught  him  by  his  beard,  and  smote  him, 
and  slew  him.  Thy  servant  slew  both  the  lion  and 
the  bear.  And  this  uncircumcised  Philistine  shall 
be  as  one  of  them,  seeing  he  hath  defied  the  armies 
of  the  living  God." 

David  said  moreover,  "The  Lord  that  delivered 
me  out  of  the  paw  of  the  lion,  and  out  of  the  paw 
of  the  bear,  he  will  deliver  me  out  of  the  hand  of 
this  Philistine."  And  Saul  said  unto  David,  "Go, 
and  the  Lord  be  with  thee." 

And  Saul  armed  David  with  his  armour,  and  he 
put  an  helmet  of  brass  upon  his  head;  also  he 
armed  him  with  a  coat  of  mail.  And  David  girded 
his  sword  upon  his  armour,  and  he  assayed  to  go ; 
for  he  had  not  proved  it.  And  David  said  unto 
Saul,  "I  cannot  go  with  these;  for  I  have  not 
proved  them."  And  David  put  them  off  him. 

And  he  took  his  staff  in  his  hand,  and  chose  him 
five  smooth  stones  out  of  the  brook,  and  put  them 
in  a  shepherd's  bag  which  he  had,  even  in  a  scrip; 
and  his  sling  was  in  his  hand.  And  he  drew  near 
to  the  Philistine. 

And  the  Philistine  came  on  and  drew  near  unto 
David;  and  the  man  that  bare  the  shield  went 


D.VVin    AM)   COMATll 


DAVID'S  BATTLE  WITH  GOLIATH    251 

before  him.  And  when  t.lie  Philistine  looked  about, 
and  saw  David,  he  disdained  him :  for  he  was  but 
a  youth,  and  ruddy,  and  of  a  fair  countenance. 
And  the  Philistine  said  unto  David,  "Am  I  a  dog, 
that  thou  comest  to  me  with  staves?"  And  the 
Philistine  cursed  David  bj'  his  gods.  And  the 
Philistine  said  to  David,  "  Come  to  me,  and  I  will 
give  thy  flesh  unto  the  fowls  of  the  air,  and  to  the 
beasts  of  the  field." 

Then  said  David  to  the  Philistine,  "Thou  com- 
est to  me  with  a  sw^ord,  and  with  a  spear,  and  with 
a  shield:  but  I  come  to  thee  in  the  name  of  the 
Lord  of  hosts,  the  God  of  the  armies  of  Israel, 
w^hom  thou  hast  defied.  This  day  will  the  Lord 
deliver  thee  into  mine  hand;  and  I  will  smite  thee, 
and  take  thine  head  from  thee;  and  I  will  give  the 
carcases  of  the  host  of  the  Philistines  this  day 
unto  the  fowls  of  the  air,  and  to  the  wild  beasts  of 
the  earth;  that  all  the  earth  may  know  that  there 
is  a  God  in  Israel.  And  all  this  assembly  shall 
know  that  the  Lord  saveth  not  w^ith  sword  and 
spear:  for  the  battle  is  the  Lord's,  and  he  will  give 
you  into  our  hands." 

And  it  came  to  pass,  when  the  Philistine  arose, 
and  came  and  drew  nigh  to  meet  David,  that  Da- 
vid hasted,  and  ran  toward  the  army  to  meet  the 
Philistine.  And  David  put  his  hand  in  his  bag, 
and  took  thence  a  stone,  and  slang  it,  and  smote 
the  Philistine  in  his  forehead,  that  the  stone  sunk 


252  BIBLE   STORIES 

into  his  forehead;  and  he  fell  upon  his  face  to  the 
earth. 

So  David  prevailed  over  the  Philistine  with  a 
sling  and  with  a  stone,  and  smote  the  Philistine, 
and  slew  him;  but  there  was  no  sword  in  the  hand 
of  David.  Therefore  David  ran,  and  stood  upon 
the  Philistine,  and  took  his  sword,  and  drew  it 
out  of  the  sheath  thereof,  and  slew  him,  and  cut 
off  his  head  therewith.  And  when  the  Philistines 
saw  their  champion  was  dead,  they  fled. 

And  the  men  of  Israel  and  of  Judah  arose,  and 
shouted,  and  pursued  the  Philistines,  until  thou 
come  to  the  valley,  and  to  the  gates  of  Ekron. 
And  the  wounded  of  the  Philistines  fell  down  by 
the  way.  And  the  children  of  Israel  returned 
from  chasing  after  the  Philistines,  and  they 
spoiled  their  tents. 

And  David  took  the  head  of  the  Philistine,  and 
brought  it  to  Jerusalem;  but  he  put  his  armour  in 
his  tent. 

1  Samuel,  17 

Bpavtifnl  stories  about  another  shepherd  arc,  "  The  Lord  is 
my  shepherd,''  Psalm  i'3;  "  The  Shepherd  of  Israel,"  Ezekiel, 
chap.  84;  "  The  Good  Shepherd,"  John,  chap.  JO;  1  Peter,  chap. 
5;  Hebrews,  chap.  13,  verses  20-21 


JONATHAN,   KING   SAUL'S   SON    253 

JONATHAN,   KING   SAUL'S   SON 

And  as  David  returned  from  the  slaughter  of 
the  Philistine,  Abner  took  him,  and  brought  him 
before  Saul  with  the  head  of  the  Philistine  in  his 
hand.  And  Saul  said  to  him,  "  Whose  son  art  thou, 
thou  young  man?"  And  David  answered,  "I  am 
the  son  of  thy  servant  Jesse  the  Beth-lehemite." 

And  it  came  to  pass,  when  he  had  made  an  end 
of  speaking  unto  Saul,  that  the  soul  of  Jonathan 
was  knit  with  the  soul  of  David,  and  Jonathan 
loved  him  as  his  own  soul. 

And  Saul  took  him  that  day,  and  would  let  him 
go  no  more  home  to  his  father's  house. 

Then  Jonathan  and  David  made  a  covenant, 
because  he  loved  him  as  his  own  soul.  And  Jona- 
than stripped  himself  of  the  robe  that  was  upon 
him,  and  gave  it  to  David,  and  his  garments, 
even  to  his  sword,  and  to  his  bow,  and  to  his 
girdle. 

And  David  went  out  whithersoever  Saul  sent 
him,  and  behaved  himself  wisely.  And  Saul  set 
him  over  the  men  of  war,  and  he  was  accepted  in 
the  sight  of  all  the  people,  and  also  in  the  sight  of 
Saul's  servants. 

1  Samuel,  17,  18 

Read  "  Iloto  Jonaihan  and  His  Armor  Bearer  Smote  the 
Garrison  of  the  Philistines,''  1  Samuel,  lit 


254  BIBLE   STORIES 

THE  JEALOUS  KING 

And  it  came  to  pass  as  they  came,  when  David 
was  returned  from  the  slaughter  of  the  Philistine, 
that  the  women  came  out  of  all  cities  of  Israel, 
singing  and  dancing,  to  meet  king  Saul,  with  ta- 
brets,  with  joy,  and  with  instruments  of  music. 
And  the  women  answered  one  another  as  they 
played,  and  said,  "  Saul  hath  slain  his  thousands, 
and  David  his  ten  thousands.'* 

And  Saul  was  very  wroth,  and  the  saying  dis- 
pleased him;  and  he  said,  "They  have  ascribed 
unto  David  ten  thousands,  and  to  me  they  have 
ascribed  but  thousands.  And  wliat  can  he  have 
more  but  the  kingdom?"  And  Saul  eyed  David 
from  that  day  and  forward. 

And  it  came  to  pass  on  the  morrow,  that  the 
evil  spirit  from  God  came  upon  Saul,  and  he  pro- 
phesied in  the  midst  of  the  house:  and  David 
played  with  his  hand,  as  at  other  times.  And 
there  was  a  javelin  in  Saul's  hand.  And  Saul  cast 
the  javelin;  for  he  said,  "I  will  smite  David  even 
to  the  wall  with  it."  And  David  avoided  out  of 
his  presence  twice. 

And  Saul  was  afraid  of  David,  because  the 
Lord  was  with  him,  and  was  departed  from  Saul. 
Therefore  Saul  removed  him  from  him,  and  made 
him  his  cai)tain  over  a  thousand;  and  he  went  out 
and  came  in  before  the  people. 


MESSAGE  OF  THE  THREE  ARROWS  255 

And  David  behaved  himself  wisely  in  all  his 
ways;  and  the  Lord  was  with  him.  Wherefore 
when  Saul  saw  that  he  behaved  himself  very 
wisely,  he  was  afraid  of  him. 

But  all  Israel  and  Judah  loved  David,  because 
he  went  out  and  came  in  before  them. 

1  Samuel,  18 

Read  "  How  Michal  SauVs  Daughter  Helped  David  to  Es- 
cape,'' 1  Sa77iuel,  chap.  18,  verses  17-30,  and  chap.  19 

THE  MESSAGE  OF  THE  THREE 
ARROWS 

And  David  said  before  Jonathan,  "  What  have 
I  done?  what  is  mine  iniquity .^^  and  what  is  my  sin 
before  thy  father,  that  he  seeketh  my  life.'^" 

And  he  said  unto  him,  "God  forbid;  thou  shalt 
not  die.  Behold,  my  father  will  do  nothing  either 
great  or  small,  but  that  he  will  shew  it  me.  And 
wdiy  should  my  father  hide  this  thing  from  me?  it 
is  not  so." 

And  David  sware  moreover,  and  said,  "Thy 
father  certainly  knoweth  that  I  have  found  grace 
in  thine  eyes;  and  he  saith,  'Let  not  Jonathan 
know  this,  lest  he  be  grieved.'  But  truly  as  the 
Lord  liveth,  and  as  thy  soul  liveth,  there  is  but  a 
stej)  between  me  and  death." 

Then  said  Jonathan  unto  David,  "Whatsoever 
thy  soul  dcsireth,  1  will  even  do  it  for  thee." 


256  BIBLE   STORIES 

And  David  said  unto  Jonathan,  "Behold,  to 
morrow  is  the  new  moon,  and  I  should  not  fail  to 
sit  with  the  king  at  meat.  But  let  me  go,  that  I 
may  hide  myself  in  the  field  unto  the  third  day  at 
even.  If  thy  father  at  all  miss  me,  then  say, 
'David  earnestly  asked  leave  of  me  that  he  might 
run  to  Beth-lehem  his  city:  for  there  is  a  yearly 
sacrifice  there  for  all  the  family.'  If  he  say  thus, 
'It  is  well;'  thy  servant  shall  have  peace:  but  if 
he  be  very  wroth,  then  be  sure  that  evil  is  de- 
termined by  him.  Therefore  thou  shalt  deal 
kindly  with  thy  servant;  for  thou  hast  brought 
thy  servant  into  a  covenant  of  the  Lord  with  thee. 
Notwithstanding,  if  there  be  in  me  iniquity,  slay 
me  thyself;  for  why  shouldest  thou  bring  me  to 
thy  father.?" 

And  Jonathan  said,  "Far  be  it  from  thee:  for  if 
I  knew  certainly  that  evil  were  determined  by  my 
father  to  come  upon  thee,  then  would  not  I  tell  it 
thee?" 

Then  said  David  to  Jonathan,  "  Who  shall  tell 
me?  or  what  if  thy  father  answer  thee  roughly?" 

And  Jonathan  said  unto  David,  "  Come,  and 
let  us  go  out  into  the  field."  And  they  went  out 
both  of  them  into  the  field. 

And  Jonathan  said  unto  David,  "O  Lord  God 
of  Israel,  when  I  have  sounded  my  father  about  to 
morrow  any  time,  or  the  third  day,  and,  behold, 
if  there  be  good  toward  David,  and  I  then  send 


MESSAGE  OF  THE  THREE  ARROWS  257 

not  unto  thee,  and  shew  it  thee;  the  Lord  do  so 
and  mucli  more  to  Jonathan.  But  if  it  please  my 
father  to  do  thee  evil,  then  I  will  shew  it  thee,  and 
send  thee  away,  that  thou  mayest  go  in  peace:  and 
the  Lord  be  with  thee,  as  he  hath  been  with  my 
father.  And  thou  shalt  not  only  while  yet  I  live 
shew  me  the  kindness  of  the  Lord,  that  I  die  not: 
but  also  thou  shalt  not  cut  off  thy  kindness  from 
my  house  for  ever:  no,  not  when  the  Lord  hath 
cut  off  the  enemies  of  David  every  one  from  the 
face  of  the  earth." 

So  Jonathan  made  a  covenant  with  the  house 
of  David,  saying,  "Let  the  Lord  even  require  it 
at  the  hand  of  David's  enemies."  And  Jonathan 
caused  David  to  swear  again,  because  he  loved 
him:  for  he  loved  him  as  he  loved  his  own  soul. 

Then  Jonathan  said  to  David,  "To  morrow  is 
the  new  moon:  and  thou  shalt  be  missed,  because 
thy  seat  will  be  empty.  And  when  thou  hast 
stayed  three  days,  then  thou  shalt  go  down 
quickly,  and  come  to  the  place  where  thou  didst 
hide  thyself  when  the  business  was  in  hand,  and 
shalt  remain  by  the  stone  Ezel.  And  I  will  shoot 
three  arrows  on  the  side  thereof,  as  though  I  shot 
at  a  mark. 

"  And,  behold,  I  will  send  a  lad,  saying,  *  Go,  find 
out  the  arrows.'  If  I  expressly  say  unto  the  lad, 
'Behold,  the  arrows  are  on  this  side  of  thee,  take 
them;'  then  come  thou:  for  there  is  peace  to  thee. 


258  BIBLE   STORIES 

and  no  hurt;  as  the  Lord  Hveth.  But  if  I  say  thus 
unto  the  young  man,  'Behokl,  the  arrows  are  be- 
yond thee;'  go  thy  way:  for  the  Lord  hath  sent 
thee  away.  And  as  touching  the  matter  which 
thou  and  I  have  spoken  of,  behold,  the  Lord  be 
between  thee  and  me  for  ever." 

So  David  hid  himself  in  the  field.  And  when 
the  new  moon  was  come,  the  king  sat  him  down 
to  eat  meat.  And  the  king  sat  upon  his  seat,  as 
at  other  times,  even  upon  a  seat  by  the  wall.  And 
Jonathan  arose,  and  Abner  sat  by  Saul's  side,  and 
David's  place  was  empty.  Nevertheless  Saul 
spake  not  any  thing  that  day:  for  he  thought, 
"Something  hath  befallen  him." 

And  it  came  to  pass  on  the  morrow,  which  was 
the  second  day  of  the  month,  that  David's  place 
was  empty:  and  Saul  said  unto  Jonathan  his  son, 
"  Wherefore  cometh  not  the  son  of  Jesse  to  meat, 
neither  yesterday,  nor  to  day.'^" 

And  Jonathan  answered  Saul,  "David  earnestly 
askicd  leave  of  me  to  go  to  Beth-lehem.  And  he 
said,  'Let  me  go,  I  pray  thee;  for  our  family  hath 
a  sacrifice  in  the  city;  and  my  brother,  he  hath 
commanded  me  to  be  there:  and  now,  if  I  have 
found  favour  in  thine  eyes,  let  me  get  away  I 
])ray  thee,  and  see  my  brethren.'  Therefore  he 
Cometh  not  unto  the  king's  tabh\" 

Then  Saul's  anger  was  kindled  against  Jona- 
than, and  he  said  unto  him,  "Thou  son  of  the 


MESSAGE  OF  THE  THREE  ARROWS  259 

perverse  rebellious  woman,  do  not  I  know  that 
thou  hast  chosen  the  son  of  Jesse  to  thine  own 
confusion.  For  as  long  as  the  son  of  Jesse  liveth 
upon  the  ground,  thou  shalt  not  be  established, 
nor  thy  kingdom.  Wherefore  now  send  and  fetch 
him  unto  me,  for  he  shall  surely  die." 

And  Jonathan  answered  Saul  his  father,  and 
said  unto  him,  "Wherefore  shall  he  be  slain? 
what  hath  he  done.'^" 

And  Saul  cast  a  javelin  at  him  to  smite  him: 
whereby  Jonathan  knew  that  it  was  determined 
of  his  father  to  slay  David.  So  Jonathan  arose 
from  the  table  in  fierce  anger,  and  did  eat  no 
meat  the  second  day  of  the  month:  for  he  was 
grieved  for  David,  because  his  father  had  done 
him  shame. 

And  it  came  to  pass  in  the  morning,  that  Jona- 
than went  out  into  the  field  at  the  time  appointed 
with  David,  and  a  little  lad  with  him.  And  he 
said  unto  his  lad,  "Run,  find  out  now  the  arrows 
which  I  shoot."  And  as  the  lad  ran,  he  shot  an 
arrow  beyond  him.  And  when  the  lad  was  come 
to  the  place  of  the  arrow  which  Jonathan  had 
shot,  Jonathan  cried  after  the  lad,  and  said,  "Is 
not  the  arrow  beyond  thee.'*"  And  Jonathan 
cried  after  the  lad,  "Make  speed,  haste,  stay 
not."  And  Jonathan's  lad  gathered  up  the 
arrows,  and  came  to  his  master.  But  the  lad 
knew  not  any  thing:  only  Jonathan  and  David 


260  BIBLE  STORIES 

knew  the  matter.  And  Jonathan  gave  his  artillery 
unto  his  lad,  and  said  unto  him,  "  Go,  carry  them 
to  the  city," 

And  as  soon  as  the  lad  was  gone,  David  arose 
out  of  a  place  toward  the  south,  and  fell  on  his 
face  to  the  ground,  and  bowed  himself  three  times: 
and  they  kissed  one  another,  and  wept  one  with 
another,  until  David  exceeded. 

And  Jonathan  said  to  David,  "  Go  in  peace, 
forasmuch  as  we  have  sworn  both  of  us  in  the 
name  of  the  Lord,  saying,  'The  Lord  be  between 
me  and  thee,  and  between  my  seed  and  thy  seed 
for  ever.'" 

And  he  arose  and  departed :  and  Jonathan  went 
into  the  city. 

1  Samuel,  20 

Other  interesting  stories  are,  **  How  Saul  Slew  the  Priests  of  the 
Lord,"  1  Samuel,  chap.  21  and  22;  ''How  Jonathan  and  David 
Made  a  Covenant  Before  the  Lord,"  1  Samuel, chap.  28;  "The 
Punishment  of  the  Churlish  Man,"  1  Samuel,  chap.  25 


HOW  SAUL  WAS  DELIVERED   INTO 
DAVID'S   HAND 

And  the  Ziphites  came  unto  Saul  to  Gibeah, 
saying,  "Doth  not  David  hide  himself  in  the  hill 
of  Ilachilah,  which  is  before  Jeshimon?" 

Then  Saul  arose,  and  went  down  to  the  wild- 
erness of  Ziph,  having  three  thousand  chosen  men 


DAVID   AND   SAUL  261 

of  Israel  with  him,  to  seek  David  in  the  wilderness 
of  Ziph.  And  Saul  pitched  in  the  hill  of  Hachilah, 
which  is  before  Jeshimon,  by  the  way.  But  David 
abode  in  the  wilderness,  and  he  saw  that  Saul 
came  after  him  into  the  wilderness.  David  there- 
fore sent  out  spies,  and  understood  that  Saul  was 
come  in  very  deed. 

And  David  arose,  and  came  to  the  place  where 
Saul  had  pitched:  and  David  beheld  the  place 
where  Saul  lay,  and  Abner  the  son  of  Ner,  the  cap- 
tain of  his  host.  And  Saul  lay  in  the  trench,  and 
the  people  pitched  round  about  him. 

Then  answered  David  and  said  to  Ahimelech 

the  Hittite,  and  to  Abishai  the  son  of  Zeruiah, 

brother  to  Joab,  saying,  "  Who  will  go  down  with 

.me  to  Saul  to  the  camp.'*"  And  Abishai  said,  "I 

will  go  down  with  thee." 

So  David  and  Abishai  came  to  the  people  by 
night:  and,  behold,  Saul  lay  sleeping  within  the 
trench,  and  his  spear  stuck  in  the  ground  at  his 
bolster.  But  Abner  and  the  people  lay  round 
about  him. 

Then  said  Abishai  to  David,  "  God  hath  de- 
livered thine  enemy  into  thine  hand  this  day. 
Now  therefore  let  me  smite  him,  I  pray  thee,  with 
the  spear  even  to  the  earth  at  once,  and  I  will  not 
smite  him  the  second  time." 

And  David  said  to  Abishai,  "Destroy  him  not: 
for  who  can  stretch  forth  his  hand  against  the 


262  BIBLE  STORIES 

Lord's  anointed,  and  be  guiltless?"  David  said 
furthermore,  "As  the  Lord  liveth,  the  Lord  shall 
smite  him;  or  his  day  shall  come  to  die;  or  he  shall 
descend  into  battle,  and  perish.  The  Lord  forbid 
that  I  should  stretch  forth  mine  hand  against  the 
Lord's  anointed.  But,  I  pray  thee,  take  thou  now 
the  spear  that  is  at  his  bolster,  and  the  cruse  of 
water,  and  let  us  go." 

So  David  took  the  spear  and  the  cruse  of  water 
from  Saul's  bolster;  and  they  gat  them  away,  and 
no  man  saw  it,  nor  knew  it,  neither  awaked:  for 
they  were  all  asleep;  because  a  deep  sleep  from 
the  Lord  was  fallen  upon  them. 

Then  David  went  over  to  the  other  side,  and 
stood  on  the  top  of  an  hill  afar  off;  a  great  space 
being  between  them.  And  David  cried  to  the  peo- 
ple, and  to  Abner  the  son  of  Ner,  saying,  "An- 
swerest  thou  not,  Abner.''  "  Then  Abner  answered 
and  said,  "  Who  art  thou  that  criest  to  the  king?  " 

And  David  said  to  Abner,  "Art  not  thou  a  val- 
iant man?  and  who  is  like  to  thee  in  Israel?  where- 
fore then  hast  thou  not  kept  thy  lord  the  king? 
For  there  came  one  of  the  people  in  to  destroy 
the  king  thy  lord.  This  thing  is  not  good  that  thou 
hast  done.  As  the  Lord  liveth,  ye  are  worthy  to 
die,  because  ye  have  not  kept  your  master,  the 
Lord's  anointed.  And  now  see  where  the  king's 
spear  is,  and  the  cruse  of  water  that  was  at  his 
bolster." 


DAVID   AND   SAUL  263 

And  Saul  knew  David's  voice,  and  said,  "  Is 
this  thy  voice,  my  son  David?" 

And  David  said,  "It  is  my  voice,  my  lord,  O 
king."  And  he  said,  "Wherefore  doth  my  lord 
thus  pursue  after  his  servant?  for  what  have  I 
done?  or  what  evil  is  in  mine  hand?  Now  there- 
fore, I  pray  thee,  let  my  lord  the  king  hear  the 
words  of  his  servant.  If  the  Lord  have  stirred 
thee  up  against  me,  let  him  accept  an  offering. 
But  if  they  be  the  children  of  men,  cursed  be  they 
before  the  Lord;  for  they  have  driven  me  out  this 
day  from  abiding  in  the  inheritance  of  the  Lord, 
saying,  'Go,  serve  other  gods.'  Now  therefore, 
let  not  my  blood  fall  to  the  earth  before  the  face 
of  the  Lord:  for  the  king  of  Israel  is  come  out  to 
seek  a  flea,  as  when  one  doth  hunt  a  partridge  in 
the  mountains." 

Then  said  Saul,  "I  have  sinned.  Return,  my 
son  David :  for  I  will  no  more  do  thee  harm,  be- 
cause my  soul  was  precious  in  thine  eyes  this  day. 
Behold,  I  have  played  the  fool,  and  have  erred 
exceedingly." 

And  David  answered  and  said,  "Behold  the 
king's  spear!  and  let  one  of  the  young  men  come 
over  and  fetch  it.  The  Lord  render  to  every  man 
his  righteousness  and  his  faithfulness:  for  the 
Lord  delivered  thee  into  my  hand  to  day,  but  I 
would  not  stretch  forth  mine  hand  against  the 
Lord's  anointed.    And,  behold,  as  thy  life  was 


264  BIBLE   STORIES 

much  set  by  this  day  in  mine  eyes,  so  let  my  life 
be  much  set  by  in  the  eyes  of  the  Lord,  and  let 
him  deliver  me  out  of  all  tribulation." 

Then  Saul  said  to  David,  "Blessed  be  thou,  my 
son  David:  thou  shalt  both  do  great  things,  and 
also  shalt  still  prevail." 

So  David  went  on  his  way,  and  Saul  returned 
to  his  place. 

1  Samuel,  26 

Read  also  ''How  Saul  Was  Delivered  into  David's  Hand 
Another  Time,"  1  Samuel,  chap.  24- 

THE  WITCH  OF  ENDOR 

Now  Samuel  was  dead,  and  all  Israel  had  la- 
mented him,  and  buried  him  in  Ramali,  even  in 
his  own  city.  And  Saul  had  put  away  those  that 
had  familiar  spirits,  and  the  wizards,  out  of  the 
land.  And  the  Philistines  gathered  themselves 
together,  and  came  and  pitched  in  Shunem.  And 
Saul  gathered  all  Israel  together,  and  they  pitched 
in  Gilboa. 

And  when  Saul  saw  the  host  of  the  Philistines, 
he  was  afraid,  and  his  heart  greatly  trembled. 
And  when  Saul  enquired  of  the  Lord,  the  Lord 
answered  him  not,  neither  by  dreams,  nor  by 
I^riin,  nor  by  pr()|)h('ts. 

'J'hen  said  Saul  unto  his  servants,  "Seek  me  a 
woman  that  hath  a  familiar  spirit,  that  I  may  go 


THE   WITCH   OF  ENDOR  265 

to  her,  and  enquire  of  her."  And  his  servants  said 
to  him,  "Behold,  there  is  a  woman  that  hath  a 
familiar  spirit  at  Endor." 

And  Saul  disguised  himself,  and  put  on  other 
raiment,  and  he  went,  and  two  men  with  him,  and 
they  came  to  the  woman  by  night.  And  he  said, 
"I  pray  thee,  divine  unto  me  by  the  familiar 
spirit,  and  bring  me  him  up,  whom  I  shall  name 
unto  thee." 

And  the  woman  said  unto  him,  "Behold,  thou 
knowest  what  Saul  hath  done,  how  he  hath  cut  off 
those  that  have  familiar  spirits,  and  the  wizards, 
out  of  the  land.  Wherefore  then  layest  thou  a 
snare   for  my  life,  to  cause  me  to  die?" 

And  Saul  sware  to  her  by  the  Lord,  saying,  "  As 
the  Lord  liveth,  there  shall  no  punishment  hap- 
pen to  thee  for  this  thing."  Then  said  the  woman, 
"Whom  shall  I  bring  up  unto  thee?"  And  he 
said,  "  Bring  me  up  Samuel." 

And  when  the  woman  saw  Samuel,  she  cried 
with  a  loud  voice:  and  the  woman  spake  to  Saul, 
saying,  "  Why  hast  thou  deceived  me?  for  thou 
art  Saul."  And  the  king  said  unto  her,  "  Be  not 
afraid:  for  what  sawest  thou?"  And  the  woman 
said  unto  Saul,  "  I  saw  a  god  ascending  out  of  the 
earth." 

And  he  said  unto  her,  "What  form  is  he  of?" 
And  she  said,  "An  old  man  cometh  up;  and  he  is 
covered   with  a  mantle."    And   Saul  perceived 


Q66  BIBLE  STORIES 

that  it  was  Samuel,  and  he  stooped  with  his  face 
to  the  ground,  and  bowed  himself. 

And  Samuel  said  to  Saul,  "Why  hast  thou 
disquieted  me,  to  bring  me  up?"  And  Saul  an- 
swered, "I  am  sore  distressed;  for  the  Philistines 
make  war  against  me,  and  God  is  departed  from 
me,  and  answereth  me  no  more,  neither  by  proph- 
ets, nor  by  dreams.  Therefore  I  have  called  thee, 
that  thou  mayest  make  known  unto  me  what  I 
shall    do." 

Then  said  Samuel,  "Wherefore  then  dost  thou 
ask  of  me,  seeing  the  Lord  is  departed  from  thee, 
and  is  become  thine  enemy.?  And  the  Lord  hath 
done  for  himself,  as  he  spake  by  me:  for  the  Lord 
hath  rent  the  kingdom  out  of  thine  hand,  and 
given  it  to  thy  neighbour,  even  to  David.  Be- 
cause thou  obeyedst  not  the  voice  of  the  Lord, 
nor  executcdst  his  fierce  wrath  upon  Amalek, 
therefore  hath  the  Lord  done  this  thing  unto  thee 
this  day.  Moreover  the  Lord  will  also  deliver 
Israel  with  thee  into  the  hand  of  the  Philistines. 
And  to  morrow  shalt  thou  and  thy  sons  l)e  with 
me.  The  Lord  also  shall  deliver  the  host  of  Israel 
into  the  hand  of  the  Philistines." 

Then  Saul  fell  straightway  all  along  on  the 
earth,  and  was  sore  afraid,  because  of  the  words 
of  Sanuiel.  And  there  was  no  strength  iu  him; 
for  he  had  eaten  no  bread  all  the  day,  nor  all  the 
night. 


SAUL'S  LAST  BATTLE  2G7 

And  the  woman  came  unto  Saul,  and  saw  that 
he  was  sore  troubled,  and  said  unto  him,  "  Be- 
hold, thine  hanchnaid  hath  obeyed  thy  voice,  and 
I  have  put  my  life  in  my  hand,  and  have  heark- 
ened unto  thy  words  which  thou  spakest  unto  me. 
Now  therefore,  I  pray  thee,  hearken  thou  also 
unto  the  voice  of  thine  handmaid,  and  let  me  set 
a  morsel  of  bread  before  thee;  and  eat,  that  thou 
mayest  have  strength,  when  thou  goest  on  thy 
way."  But  he  refused,  and  said,  "I  will  not  eat." 
But  his  servants,  together  with  the  woman,  com- 
pelled him;  and  he  hearkened  unto  their  voice. 
So  he  arose  from  the  earth,  and  sat  upon  the  bed. 

And  the  woman  had  a  fat  calf  in  the  house; 
and  she  hasted,  and  killed  it,  and  took  flour,  and 
kneaded  it,  and  did  bake  unleavened  bread 
thereof:  and  she  brought  it  before  Saul,  and  be- 
fore his  servants;  and  they  did  eat. 

Then  they  rose  up,  and  went  away  that  night. 

1  Samuel,  28 

SAUL'S  LAST  BATTLE 

Now  the  Philistines  fought  against  Israel;  and 
the  men  of  Israel  fled  from  before  the  Philistines, 
and  fell  down  slain  in  mount  Gilboa.  And  the 
Philistines  followed  hard  after  Saul,  and  after  his 
sons.  And  the  Philistines  slew  Jonathan,  and 
Abinadab,  and  Malchi-shua,  the   sons   of   Saul. 


2G8  BIBLE  STORIES 

And  the  battle  went  sore  against  Saul,  and  the 
archers  hit  him,  and  he  was  wounded  of  the  arch- 
ers. 

Then  said  Saul  to  his  armourbearer,  "  Draw 
thy  sword,  and  thrust  me  through  therewith;  lest 
these  uncircumcised  come  and  abuse  me."  But 
his  armourbearer  would  not;  for  he  was  sore 
afraid.  So  Saul  took  a  sword,  and  fell  upon  it. 
And  when  his  armourbearer  saw  that  Saul  was 
dead,  he  fell  likewise  on  the  sword,  and  died. 

So  Saul  died,  and  his  three  sons,  and  all  his 
house  died  together. 

And  when  all  the  men  of  Israel  that  were  in 
the  valley  saw  that  they  fled,  and  that  Saul  and 
his  sons  were  dead,  then  they  forsook  their  cities, 
and  fled:  and  the  Philistines  came  and  dwelt  in 
them. 

And  it  came  to  pass  on  the  morrow,  when  the 
Philistines  came  to  strip  the  slain,  that  they 
found  Saul  and  his  sons  fallen  in  mount  Gilboa. 
And  when  they  had  stripped  him,  they  took  his 
head,  and  his  armour,  and  sent  into  the  land  of 
the  Philistines  round  about,  to  carry  tidings  unto 
their  idols,  and  to  the  people.  And  they  put  his 
armour  in  the  house  of  their  gods,  and  fastened 
his  head  in  the  temple  of  Dagon. 

And  when  all  Jabesh-gilead  heard  all  that  the 
Philistines  had  done  to  Saul,  they  arose,  all  the 
valiant  men,  and  took  away  the  body  of   Saul, 


TAKING  OF  THE  CASTLE  OF  ZION    269 

and  the  bodies  of  his  sons,  and  brought  them  to 
Jabesh,  and  buried  their  bones  under  the  oak  in 
Jabesh,  and  fasted  seven  days. 

So  Saul  died  for  his  transgression  which  he 
committed  against  the  Lord,  even  against  the 
word  of  the  Lord,  which  he  kept  not,  and  also  for 
asking  counsel  of  one  that  had  a  familiar  spirit,  to 
enquire  of  it;  and  enquired  not  of  the  Lord:  there- 
fore he  slew  him,  and  turned  the  kingdom  unto 
David  the  son  of  Jesse. 

1  Chronicles,  10 

Other  good  stories  are,  "  The  Lying  Messenger,"  2  Samuel, 
chap.  1;  "HowAbner,  Captain  of  SauVs  Host,  Fought  David," 
2  Samuel,  chaps.  2  and  3;  "What  Happened  to  the  Men  Who 
Slew  Saul's  Son,"  2  Samuel,  chap,  k 


THE  TAKING  OF    THE  CASTLE  OF 
ZION 

Then  all  Israel  gathered  themselves  to  David 
unto  Hebron,  saying,  "  Behold,  we  are  thy  bone 
and  thy  flesh.  And  moreover  in  time  past,  even 
when  Saul  was  king,  thou  wast  he  that  leddest 
out  and  broughtest  in  Israel,  And  the  Lord  thy 
God  said  unto  thee,  'Thou  shalt  feed  my  people 
Israel,  and  thou  shalt  be  ruler  over  my  people 
Israel.'" 

Therefore  came  all  the  elders  of  Israel  to  the 
king  to  Hebron;  and    David    made  a  covenant 


270  BIBLE  STORIES 

with  them  in  Hebron  before  the  Lord;  and  they 
anointed  David  king  over  Israel,  according  to  the 
word  of  the  Lord  by  Samuel. 

And  David  and  all  Israel  went  to  Jerusalem, 
which  is  Jebus;  where  the  Jebusites  were,  the  in- 
habitants of  the  land.  And  the  inhabitants  of 
Jebus  said  to  David,  "Thou  shalt  not  come 
hither."  Nevertheless  David  took  the  castle  of 
Zion,  which  is  the  city  of  David. 

And  David  said,  "Whosoever  smiteth  the 
Jebusites  first  shall  be  chief  and  captain."  So 
Joab  the  son  of  Zeruiah  went  first  up,  and  was 
chief. 

And  David  dwelt  in  the  castle;  therefore  they 
called  it  the  city  of  David.  And  he  built  the  city 
round  about,  even  from  Millo  round  about:  and 
Joab  repaired  the  rest  of  the  city. 

So  David  waxed  greater  and  greater:  for  the 
Lord  of  hosts  was  with  him. 

1  Chronicles,  11 

Read  "How  David  Brought  Home  the  Ark  oj  the  Lord," 
2  Samuel,  cliap.  6 

HOW  ARE  THE  MIGHTY  FALLEN! 

And  David  lamented  with  this  lamentation 
over  Saul  and  over  Jonathan  his  son :  — 

"The  beauty  of  Israel  is  slain  upon  thy  high 
places:  how  are  the  mighty  fallen! 


HOW  ARE  THE   MIGHTY  FALLEN!    271 

"  Tell  it  not  in  Gath,  publish  it  not  in  the 
streets  of  Askelon;  lest  the  daughters  of  the  Phil- 
istines rejoice,  lest  the  daughters  of  the  uncir- 
cumcised  triumph. 

"Ye  mountains  of  Gilboa,  let  there  be  no  dew, 
neither  let  there  be  rain,  upon  you,  nor  fields  of 
offerings:  for  there  the  shield  of  the  mighty  is 
vilely  cast  away,  the  shield  of  Saul,  as  though  he 
had  not  been  anointed  with  oil. 

"  From  the  blood  of  the  slain,  from  the  fat  of 
the  mighty,  the  bow  of  Jonathan  turned  not  back, 
and  the  sword  of  Saul  returned  not  empty. 

"Saul  and  Jonathan  were  lovely  and  pleasant 
in  their  lives,  and  in  their  death  they  were  not  di- 
vided. They  were  swifter  than  eagles,  they  were 
stronger  than  lions. 

"Ye  daughters  of  Israel,  weep  over  Saul,  who 
clothed  you  in  scarlet,  with  other  delights,  who 
put  on  ornaments  of  gold  upon  your  apparel. 

' '  How  are  the  mighty  fallen  in  the  midst  of  the 
battle !  O  Jonathan,  thou  wast  slain  in  thine  high 
places. 

"I  am  distressed  for  thee,  my  brother  Jona- 
than: very  pleasant  hast  thou  been  unto  me:  thy 
love  to  me  was  wonderful,  passing  the  love  of 
women. 

"  How  are  the  mighty  fallen,  and  the  weapons 
of  war  perished!" 

2  Samuel,  1 


272  BIBLE   STORIES 

THE  THREE  MIGHTIEST 

Now  three  of  the  thirty  captains  went  down  to 
the  rock  to  David,  into  the  cave  of  Adullam;  and 
the  host  of  the  Philistines  encamped  in  the  valley 
of  Rephaim.  And  David  was  then  in  the  hold, 
and  the  Philistines'  garrison  was  then  at  Beth- 
lehem. 

And  David  longed,  and  said,  "Oh  that  one 
would  give  me  drink  of  the  water  of  the  well  of 
Beth-lehem,  that  is  at  the  gate!" 

And  the  three  brake  through  the  host  of  the 
Philistines,  and  drew  water  out  of  the  well  of 
Beth-lehem,  that  was  by  the  gate,  and  took  it, 
and  brought  it  to  David:  but  David  would  not 
drink  of  it,  but  poured  it  out  to  the  Lord.  And 
said,  "My  God  forbid  it  me,  that  I  should  do  this 
thing.  Shall  I  drink  the  blood  of  these  men  that 
have  put  their  lives  in  jeopardy?  for  with  the 
jeopardy  of  their  lives  they  brought  it."  There- 
fore he  would  not  drink  it. 

These  things  did  these  three  mightiest. 

1  Chronicles,  11 

Read  about  "  The  Boy  Who  Was  Lame  on  Both  Feet," 
2  Samuel,  chap.  U,  verses  1-Jt,  and  chap.  9,  chap.  16,  verses 
1-Jt,  chap.  IJ,  verses  2^-30 


KING   DAVID'S   GRIEVOUS  SIN    273 

KING  DAVID'S  GRIEVOUS  SIN 

And  it  came  to  pass,  after  the  year  was  ex- 
pired, at  the  time  when  kings  go  forth  to  battle, 
that  David  sent  Joab,  and  his  servants  with  him, 
and  all  Israel;  and  they  destroyed  the  children  of 
Ammon,  and  besieged  Rabbah.  But  David  tar- 
ried still  at  Jerusalem. 

And  it  came  to  pass  in  an  eveningtide,  that 
David  arose  from  off  his  bed,  and  walked  upon 
the  roof  of  the  king's  house :  and  from  the  roof  he 
saw  a  woman  washing  herself.  And  the  woman 
was  very  beautiful  to  look  upon.  And  David  sent 
and  enquired  after  the  woman.  And  one  said,  "Is 
not  this  Bath-sheba,  the  daughter  of  Eliam,  the 
wife  of  Uriah  the  Hittite.'^ " 

And  it  came  to  pass  that  David  wrote  a  letter 
to  Joab,  and  sent  it  by  the  hand  of  Uriah.  And 
he  wrote  in  the  letter,  saying,  "  Set  ye  Uriah  in 
the  forefront  of  the  hottest  battle,  and  retire  ye 
from  him,  that  he  may  be  smitten,  and  die." 

And  it  came  to  pass,  when  Joab  observed  the 
city,  that  he  assigned  Uriah  unto  a  place  where 
he  knew  that  valiant  men  were.  And  the  men  of 
the  city  went  out,  and  fought  with  Joab.  And 
there  fell  some  of  the  people  of  the  servants  of 
David;  and  Uriah  the  Hittite  died  also. 

Then  Joab  sent  and  told  David  all  the  things 
concerning  the  war;  and  charged  the  messenger. 


274  BIBLE   STORIES 

saying,  "When  thou  hast  made  an  end  of  telling 
the  matters  of  the  war  unto  the  king,  and  if  so  be 
that  the  king's  wrath  arise,  and  he  say  unto  thee, 
'Wherefore  approached  ye  so  nigh  unto  the  city 
when  ye  did  fight?  knew  ye  not  that  they  would 
shoot  from  the  wall?  who  smote  Abimelech  the 
son  of  Jerubbesheth?  did  not  a  woman  cast  a 
piece  of  a  millstone  upon  him  from  the  wall,  that 
he  died  in  Thebez?  why  went  ye  nigh  the  wall?' 
then  say  thou,  'Thy  servant  Uriah  the  Hittite  is 
dead  also.'" 

So  the  messenger  went,  and  came  and  shewed 
David  all  that  Joab  had  sent  him  for.  And  the 
messenger  said  unto  David,  "Surely  the  men  pre- 
vailed against  us,  and  came  out  unto  us  into  the 
field,  and  we  were  upon  them  even  unto  the  en- 
tering of  the  gate.  And  the  shooters  shot  from  off 
the  wall  upon  thy  servants;  and  some  of  the  king's 
servants  be  dead,  and  thy  servant  Uriah  the 
Hittite  is  dead  also." 

Then  David  said  unto  the  messenger,  "Thus 
shalt  thou  say  unto  Joab,  'Let  not  this  thing  dis- 
please thee,  for  the  sword  devoureth  one  as  well  as 
another.  Make  thy  battle  more  strong  against 
the  city,  and  overthrow  it. '  And  encourage  thou 
him." 

And  when  the  wife  of  Uriah  heard  that  Uriah 
her  husband  was  dead,  she  mourned  for  her  hus- 
band.  And  when  the  mourning  was  past,  David 


"THOU  ART  THE  MAN!"         275 

sent  and  fetched  her  to  his  house,  and  she  became 
his  wife,  and  bare  him  a  son. 

But  the  thing  that  David  had  done  displeased 
the  Lord. 

2  Samuel,  11 


"THOU  ART  THE   MAN!" 

And  the  Lord  sent  Nathan  unto  David.  And 
he  came  unto  him,  and  said  unto  him,  "There 
were  two  men  in  one  city;  the  one  rich,  and  the 
other  poor.  The  rich  man  had  exceeding  many 
flocks  and  herds.  But  the  poor  man  had  nothing, 
save  one  little  ewe  lamb,  which  he  had  bought 
and  nourished  up.  And  it  grew  up  together  with 
him,  and  with  his  children.  It  did  eat  of  his  own 
meat,  and  drank  of  his  own  cup,  and  lay  in  his 
bosom,  and  was  unto  him  as  a  daughter.  And 
there  came  a  traveller  unto  the  rich  man,  and  he 
spared  to  take  of  his  own  flock  and  of  his  own 
herd,  to  dress  for  the  wayfaring  man  that  was 
come  unto  him;  but  took  the  poor  man's  lamb, 
and  dressed  it  for  the  man  that  was  come  to  him." 

And  David's  anger  was  greatly  kindled  against 
the  man;  and  he  said  to  Nathan,  "As  the  Lord 
liveth,  the  man  that  hath  done  this  thing  shall 
smvly  die.  And  he  shall  restore  the  lain!)  four- 
fold, because  he  did  this  thing,  and  because  ho  Iiad 
no  pity." 


276  BIBLE   STORIES 

And  Nathan  said  to  David,  "Thou  art  the 


man 


"  Thus  saith  the  Lord  God  of  Israel, '  I  anointed 
thee  king  over  Israel,  and  I  delivered  thee  out  of 
the  hand  of  Saul;  and  I  gave  thee  thy  master's 
house,  and  thy  master's  wives  into  thy  bosom,  and 
gave  thee  the  house  of  Israel  and  of  Judah;  and  if 
that  had  been  too  little,  I  would  moreover  have 
given  unto  thee  such  and  such  things. 

"  '  Wherefore  hast  thou  despised  the  command- 
ment of  the  Lord,  to  do  evil  in  his  sight?  thou 
hast  killed  Uriah  the  Hittite  with  the  sword,  and 
hast  taken  his  wife  to  be  thy  wife,  and  hast  slain 
him  with  the  sword  of  the  children  of  Ammon. 
Now  therefore  the  sword  shall  never  depart  from 
thine  house;  because  thou  hast  despised  me,  and 
hast  taken  the  wife  of  Uriah  the  Hittite  to  be 
thy  wife.' 

"Thus  saith  the  Lord, '  Behold,  I  will  raise  up 
evil  against  thee  out  of  thine  own  house,  and  I 
will  take  thy  wives  before  thine  eyes,  and  give 
them  unto  thy  neigh})our.  For  thou  didst  it 
secretly:  but  I  will  do  this  thing  before  all  Israel, 
and  before  the  sun.'  " 

And  David  said  unto  Nathan,  "  I  have  sinned 
against  the  Lord." 

And  Nathan  said  unto  David,  "The  Lord  also 
hath  put  away  thy  sin;  thou  shalt  not  die.  How- 
beit,  because  by  this  deed  thou  hast  given  great 


"THOU  ART  THE  MAN!"         277 

occasion  to  the  enemies  of  the  Lord  to  blaspheme, 
the  child  also  that  is  born  unto  thee  shall  surely 
die." 

And  Nathan  departed  unto  his  house.  And  the 
Lord  struck  the  child  that  L'^riah's  wife  bare  unto 
David,  and  it  was  very  sick.  David  therefore 
besought  God  for  the  child;  and  David  fasted, 
and  went  in,  and  lay  all  night  upon  the  earth.  And 
the  elders  of  his  house  arose,  and  went  to  him,  to 
raise  him  up  from  the  earth:  but  he  would  not, 
neither  did  he  eat  bread  with  them. 

And  it  came  to  pass  on  the  seventh  day,  that 
the  child  died.  And  the  servants  of  David  feared 
to  tell  him  that  the  child  was  dead:  for  they  said, 
"^  Behold,  while  the  child  was  yet  alive,  we  spake 
unto  him,  and  he  would  not  hearken  unto  our 
voice:  how  will  he  then  vex  himself,  if  we  tt^ll  him 
that  the  child  is  dead?" 

But  when  David  saw  that  his  servants  whis- 
pered, David  perceived  that  the  child  was  dead : 
therefore  David  said  unto  his  servants,  "Is  the 
child  dead?"  And  they  said,  "He  is  dead." 

Then  David  arose  from  the  earth,  and  washed, 
and  anointed  himself,  and  changed  his  apparel, 
and  came  into  the  house  of  the  Lord,  antl  wor 
shipped.  Then  he  came  to  his  own  house;  and 
when  he  required,  they  set  bread  before  him,  and 
he  did  eat. 

Then  said  his  servants  unto  him,  "What  thing 


278  BIBLE  STORIES 

is  this  that  thou  hast  done?  thou  didst  fast  and 
weep  for  the  child,  while  it  was  alive;  but  when  the 
child  was  dead,  thou  didst  rise  and  eat  bread." 

And  he  said,  "While  the  child  was  yet  alive, 
I  fasted  and  wept:  for  I  said,  '  Who  can  tell 
whether  God  will  be  gracious  to  me,  that  the  child 
may  live?  '  But  now  he  is  dead,  wherefore  should 
I  fast?  can  I  bring  him  back  again?  I  shall  go  to 
him,  but  he  shall  not  return  to  me." 

And  David  comforted  Bath-sheba  his  wife.  And 
she  bare  a  son,  and  he  called  his  name  Solomon: 
and  the  Lord  loved  him.  And  he  sent  by  the  hand 
of  Nathan,  the  prophet;  and  he  called  his  name 
Jedidiah  (Beloved  of  the  Lord),  because  of  the 
Lord. 

2  Samuel,  12 

ABSALOM,  KING  DAVID'S  SON 

But  in  all  Israel  there  was  none  to  be  so  much 
praised  as  Absalom  for  his  beauty.  From  the  sole 
of  his  foot  even  to  the  crown  of  his  head  there  was 
no  blemish  in  him.  And  when  he  i)olled  his  head, 
(for  it  was  at  every  year's  end  that  he  polled  it : 
because  the  hair  was  heavy  on  him,  therefore  he 
polled  it:)  he  weighed  the  hair  of  his  head  at  two 
hundred  shekels  after  the  king's  weight. 

And  it  came  to  pass  that  Absalom  prepared  him 
chariots  and  horses,  and  fifty  men  to  run  before 


ABSALOM,   KING  DAVID'S  SON    279 

him.  And  Absalom  rose  up  early,  and  stood  be- 
side the  way  of  the  gate.  And  it  was  so,  that  when 
any  man  that  had  a  controversy  came  to  the  king 
for  judgment,  then  Absalom  called  unto  him,  and 
said,  "Of  what  city  art  thou?  "  And  he  said,  "Thy 
servant  is  of  one  of  the  tribes  of  Israel."  And 
Absalom  said  unto  him,  "See,  thy  matters  are 
good  and  right;  but  there  is  no  man  deputed  of 
the  king  to  hear  thee."  Absalom  said  moreover, 
"Oh  that  I  were  made  judge  in  the  land,  that 
every  man  which  hath  any  suit  or  cause  might 
come  unto  me,  and  I  would  do  him  justice!" 

And  it  was  so,  that  when  any  man  came  nigh 
to  him  to  do  him  obeisance,  he  put  forth  his  hand, 
and  took  him,  and  kissed  him.  And  on  this  man- 
ner did  Absalom  to  all  Israel  that  came  to  the 
king  for  judgment.  So  Absalom  stole  the  hearts 
of  the  men  of  Israel. 

And  it  came  to  pass  after  forty  years  that 
Absalom  said  unto  the  king,  "I  pray  thee,  let  me 
go  and  pay  my  vow,  which  I  have  vowed  unto  the 
Lord,  in  Hebron.  For  thy  servant  vowed  a  vow 
while  I  abode  at  Geshur  in  Syria,  saying,  'If  the 
Lord  shall  bring  me  again  indeed  to  Jerusalem, 
then  I  will  serve  the  Lord.'"  And  the  king  said 
unto  him,  "Go  in  peace."  So  he  arose,  and  went 
to  Hebron. 

But  Absalom  sent  spies  throughout  all  the 
tribes  of  Israel,  saying,  "  As  soon  as  ye  hear  the 


280  BIBLE   STORIES 

sound  of  the  trumpet,  then  ye  shall  say,  'Ab- 
salom reigneth  in  Hebron.'" 

iVnd  with  Absalom  went  two  hundred  men  out 
of  Jerusalem,  that  were  called;  and  they  went  in 
their  simplicity,  and  they  knew  not  any  thing. 
And  Absalom  sent  for  Ahithophel  the  Gilonite, 
David's  counsellor,  from  his  city,  even  from 
Giloh,  while  he  offered  sacrifices.  And  the  con- 
spiracy was  strong;  for  the  people  increased  con- 
tinuallj'  with  Absalom. 

And  there  came  a  messenger  to  David,  saying, 
"The  hearts  of  the  men  of  Israel  are  after  Ab- 
salom." 

And  David  said  unto  all  his  servants  that  were 
with  him  at  Jerusalem,  "Arise,  and  let  us  flee;  for 
we  shall  not  else  escape  from  Absalom.  Make 
speed  to  depart,  lest  he  overtake  us  suddenly,  and 
bring  evil  upon  us,  and  smite  the  city  with  the 
edge  of  the  sword." 

And  the  king's  servants  said  unto  the  king, 
"Behold,  thy  servants  are  ready  to  do  whatso- 
ever my  lord  the  king  shall  appoint." 

And  the  king  went  forth,  and  all  the  people 
after  him,  and  tarried  in  a  place  that  was  far  off. 
And  all  his  servants  passed  on  beside  him;  six 
hundred  men  which  came  after  him  from  Gath, 
passed  on  before  the  king. 

Then  said  the  king  to  Ittai  the  Gittite,  "Where- 
fore goest  thou  also  with  us?  return  to  thy  place, 


ABSALOM,  KING   DAVID'S   SON    281 

and  abide  with  the  kinji?:  for  thou  art  a  stranger, 
and  also  an  exile.  Whereas  thou  earnest  but  yes- 
terday, should  I  this  day  make  thee  go  up  and 
down  with  us?  seeing  I  go  whither  I  may.  Return 
thou,  and  take  back  thy  brethren.  Mercy  and 
truth  be  with  thee."  And  Ittai  answered  the 
king,  and  said,  "As  the  Lord  liveth,  and  as  my 
lord  the  king  liveth,  surely  in  what  place  my  lord 
the  king  shall  be,  whether  in  death  or  life,  even 
there  also  will  thy  stTvant  be." 

And  David  said  to  Ittai,  "  Go  and  pass  over." 
And  Ittai  the  Gittite  passed  over,  and  all  his  men, 
and  all  the  little  ones  that  were  with  him.  And 
all  the  country  wept  with  a  loud  voice,  and  all  the 
people  passed  over.  The  king  also  himself  passed 
over  the  brook  Kidron,  and  all  the  people  passed 
over,  toward  the  way  of  the  wilderness. 

And  lo  Zadok  also,  and  all  the  Levites  were 
with  hun,  bearing  the  ark  of  the  covenant  of  God. 
And  they  set  down  the  ark  of  God;  and  Abiathar 
went  up,  until  all  the  people  had  done  passing  out 
of  the  city.  And  the  king  said  unto  Zadok, 
"Carry  back  the  ark  of  God  into  the  city.  If  I 
shall  find  favour  in  the  ej^es  of  the  Lord,  he  will 
bring  me  again,  and  shew  me  both  it,  and  his 
habitation.  But  if  he  thus  say,  'I  have  no  delight 
in  thee;'  behold,  here  am  I,  let  him  do  to  me  as 
seemeth  good  unto  him." 

The  king  said  also  unto  Zadok  the  priest,  "  Art 


282  BIBLE   STORIES 

not  thou  a  seer?  return  into  the  city  in  peace,  and 
your  two  sons  with  you,  Ahimaaz  thy  son,  and 
Jonathan  the  son  of  Abiathar.  See,  I  will  tarry  in 
the  plain  of  the  wilderness,  until  there  come  word 
from  you  to  certify  me."  Zadok  therefore  and 
Abiathar  carried  the  ark  of  God  again  to  Jerusa- 
lem :  and  they  tarried  there. 

And  David  went  up  by  the  ascent  of  mount 
Olivet,  and  wept  as  he  went  up,  and  had  his  head 
covered,  and  he  went  barefoot.  And  all  the  peo- 
ple that  was  wuth  him  covered  every  man  his 
head,  and  they  went  up,  weeping  as  they  went 
up. 

2  Samuel,  14,  15 

Another  story  of  Absalom  is  "  The  Evil  Counsel  of  Ahitho- 
phel,"  2  Samuel,  chap.  15,  verses  31-37;  and  chaps.  16,  17 

THE   PUNISHMENT  OF  ABSALOM 

And  David  numbered  the  people  that  were  with 
him,  and  set  captains  of  thousands  and  captains 
of  hundreds  over  them.  And  David  sent  forth  a 
third  part  of  the  people  under  the  hand  of  Joab, 
and  a  third  part  under  the  hand  of  Abishai  the  son 
of  Zeruiah,  Joab's  brother,  and  a  third  part  under 
the  hand  of  Ittai  the  Gittite. 

And  the  king  said  unto  the  people,  "I  will  surely 
go  forth  with  you  myself  also."  But  the  people 
answered,  "Thou  shalt  not  go  forth:  for  if  we 


THE   PUNISHMENT  OF  ABSALOM    283 

flee  away,  llicy  will  not  care  for  us;  neither  if  half 
of  us  die,  will  they  care  for  us.  But  now  thou  art 
worth  ten  thousand  of  us.  Therefore  now  it  is 
better  that  thou  succour  us  out  of  the  city."  And 
the  king  said  inito  them,  "What  seemeth  you 
best  I  will  do."  And  the  king  stood  by  the  gate 
side,  and  all  the  people  came  out  by  hundreds  and 
by  thousands. 

And  the  king  commanded  Joab  and  Abishai 
and  Ittai,  saying,  "Deal  gently  for  my  sake  with 
the  young  man,  even  with  Absalom."  And  all 
the  people  heard  when  the  king  gave  all  the  cap- 
tains charge  concerning  Absalom. 

So  the  people  went  out  into  the  field  against 
Israel.  And  the  battle  was  in  the  wood  of  Eph- 
raim ;  where  the  people  of  Israel  were  slain  before 
the  servants  of  David,  and  there  was  there  a  great 
slaughter  that  daj'  of  twenty  thousand  men.  For 
the  battle  was  there  scattered  over  the  face  of  all 
the  country.  And  the  wood  devoured  more  people 
that  day  than  the  sword  devoured. 

And  Absalom  met  the  servants  of  David.  And 
Absalom  rode  upon  a  mule,  and  the  mule  went 
under  the  thick  boughs  of  a  great  oak,  and  his 
head  caught  hold  of  the  oak,  and  he  was  taken  up 
between  the  heaven  and  the  earth;  and  the  mule 
that  was  under  him  went  away. 

And  a  certain  man  saw  it,  and  told  Joal),  and 
said,  "Behold,  I  saw  Absalom  hanged  in  an  oak." 


284  BIBLE   STORIES 

And  Joab  said  unto  the  man  that  told  him, 
"And,  behold,  thou  sawest  him,  and  why  didst 
thou  not  smite  him  there  to  the  ground?  and  I 
would  have  given  thee  ten  shekels  of  silver,  and  a 
girdle." 

And  the  man  said  unto  Joab,  "Though  I  should 
receive  a  thousand  shekels  of  silver  in  mine  hand, 
yet  would  I  not  put  forth  mine  hand  against  the 
king's  son.  For  in  our  hearing  the  king  charged 
thee  and  Abishai  and  Ittai,  saying,  'Beware  that 
none  touch  the  young  man  Absalom.'  Otherwise 
I  should  have  wrought  falsehood  against  mine 
own  life.  For  there  is  no  matter  hid  from  the 
king,  and  thou  thyself  wouldest  have  set  thyself 
against  me." 

Then  said  Joab,  "I  may  not  tarry  thus  with 
thee."  And  he  took  three  darts  in  his  hand,  and 
thrust  them  through  the  heart  of  Absalom,  while 
he  was  yet  alive  in  the  midst  of  the  oak.  And  ten 
young  men  that  bare  Joab's  armour  compassed 
about  and  smote  Absalom,  and  slew  him. 

And  Joab  blew  the  trumpet,  and  the  people 
returned  from  pursuing  after  Israel:  for  Joab  held 
back  the  people.  And  they  took  Absalom,  and 
cast  him  into  a  great  pit  in  the  wood,  and  laid  a 
very  great  heap  of  stones  upon  him :  and  all  Israel 
fled  every  one  to  his  tent.  Now  Absalom  in  his 
lifetime  had  taken  and  reared  up  for  himself  a 
pillar,  which  is  in  the  king's  dale:  for  he  said,  "  I 


THE  PUNISHMENT  OF  ABSALOM    285 

have  no  son  to  keep  my  name  in  remembrance." 
And  he  called  the  pillar  after  his  own  name:  and 
it  is  called  unto  this  day,  Absalom's  place. 

Then  said  Ahimaaz  the  son  of  Zadok,  "Let  me 
now  run,  and  bear  the  king  tidings,  how  that  the 
Lord  hath  avenged  him  of  his  enemies."  And 
Joab  said  unto  him,  "Thou  shalt  not  bear  tidings 
this  day,  but  thou  shalt  bear  tidings  another  day. 
But  this  day  thou  shalt  bear  no  tidings,  because 
the  king's  son  is  dead." 

Then  said  Joab  to  Cushi,  "  Go  tell  the  king  what 
thou  hast  seen."  And  Cushi  bowed  himself  unto 
Joab,  and  ran. 

Then  said  Ahimaaz  the  son  of  Zadok  yet  again 
to  Joab,"  But  howsoever,  let  me,  I  pray  thee,  also 
run  after  Cushi."  And  Joab  said,  "^Mierefore 
wilt  thou  run,  my  son,  seeing  that  thou  hast  no 
tidings  ready.''"  "But  howsoever,"  said  he,  "let 
me  run."  And  he  said  unto  him,  "Run."  Then 
Ahimaaz  ran  by  the  way  of  the  plain,  and  overran 
Cushi. 

And  David  sat  between  the  two  gates.  And 
the  watchman  went  up  to  the  roof  over  the  gate 
unto  the  wall,  and  lifted  up  his  eyes,  and  looked, 
and  behold  a  man  running  alone.  And  the  watch- 
man cried,  and  told  the  king.  And  the  king  said, 
"If  he  be  alone,  there  is  tidings  in  his  mouth." 
And  he  came  apace,  and  drew  near. 

And  the  watchman  saw  another  man  running: 


286  BIBLE   STORIES 

and  the  watchman  called  unto  the  porter,  and 
said,  "Behold  another  man  running  alone."  And 
the  king  said,  "He  also  bringeth  tidings."  And 
the  watchman  said,  "Me  thinketh  the  running  of 
the  foremost  is  like  the  running  of  Ahimaaz  the 
son  of  Zadok."  And  the  king  said,  "He  is  a  good 
man,  and  cometh  with  good  tidings." 

And  Ahimaaz  called,  and  said  unto  the  king, 
"All  is  well."  And  he  fell  down  to  the  earth  upon 
his  face  before  the  king,  and  said,  "Blessed  be  the 
Lord  thy  God,  which  hath  delivered  up  the  men 
that  lifted  up  their  hand  against  my  lord  the 
king." 

And  the  king  said,  "Is  the  young  man  Absalom 
safe?  "  And  Ahimaaz  answered,  "When  Joab  sent 
the  king's  servant,  and  me  thy  servant,  I  saw 
a  great  tumult,  but  I  knew  not  what  it  was." 
And  the  king  said  unto  him,  "Turn  aside,  and 
stand  here."  And  he  turned  aside,  and  stood 
still. 

And,  behold,  Cushi  came;  and  Cushi  said, 
"Tidings,  my  lord  the  king:  for  the  Lord  hath 
avenged  thee  this  day  of  all  them  that  rose  up 
against  thee." 

And  the  king  said  unto  Cushi,  "Is  the  young 
man  Absalom  safe.'  "  And  Cushi  answered,  "The 
enemies  of  my  lord  the  king,  and  all  that  rise 
against  thee  to  do  thee  hurt,  be  as  that  young 
man  is." 


HOUSE   OF  THE   GOD   OF  ISRAEL    287 

And  the  king  was  much  moved,  and  went  up 
to  the  chamber  over  the  gate,  and  wept:  and  as 
he  went,  thus  he  said,  "O  my  son  Absalom,  my 
son,  my  son  Absalom !  would  God  I  had  died  for 
thee,  O  Absalom,  my  son,  my  son!  " 

2  Samuel,  18 

Read  "  What  Happened  When  David  Returned  to  His  King- 
dom," 2  Samnel,  chap.  19 


THE  HOUSE  OF  THE  LORD  GOD  OF 
ISRAEL 

And  David  called  for  Solomon  his  son,  and 
charged  him  to  build  an  house  for  the  Lord  God 
of  Israel. 

And  David  said  to  Solomon,  "My  son,  as  for 
me,  it  was  in  my  mind  to  build  an  house  unto  the 
name  of  the  Lord  my  God.  But  the  word  of  the 
Lord  came  to  me,  saying,  'Thou  hast  shed  blood 
abundantly,  and  hast  made  great  wars.  Thou 
shalt  not  build  an  house  unto  my  name,  because 
thou  hast  shed  much  blood  upon  the  earth  in  my 
sight. 

'"Behold,  a  son  shall  be  born  to  thee,  who  shall 
be  a  man  of  rest;  and  I  will  give  him  rest  from  all 
his  enemies  round  about:  for  his  name  shall  be 
Solomon  (that  is  Peaceful),  and  I  will  give  peace 
and  quietness  unto  Israel  in  his  days.  He  shall 
build  an  house  for  my  name;  and  he  shall  ])e  my 


288  BIBLE   STORIES 

son,  and  I  will  be  his  father;  and  I  will  establish 
the  throne  of  his  kingdom  over  Israel  for  ever.' 

"Now,  my  son,  the  Lord  be  with  thee;  and 
prosper  thou,  and  build  the  house  of  the  Lord  thy 
God,  as  he  hath  said  of  thee.  Only  the  Lord  give 
thee  wisdom  and  understanding,  and  give  thee 
charge  concerning  Israel,  that  thou  mayest  keep 
the  law  of  the  Lord  thy  God.  Then  shalt  thou 
prosper,  if  thou  takest  heed  to  fulfil  the  statutes 
and  judgments  which  the  Lord  charged  Moses 
with  concerning  Israel.  Be  strong,  and  of  good 
courage;  dread  not,  nor  be  dismayed. 

"Now,  behold,  in  my  trouble  I  have  prepared 
for  the  house  of  the  Lord  an  hundred  thousand 
talents  of  gold,  and  a  thousand  thousand  talents 
of  silver;  and  of  brass  and  iron  without  weight;  for 
it  is  in  abundance:  timber  also  and  stone  have  I 
prepared;  and  thou  mayest  add  thereto.  More- 
over there  are  workmen  with  thee  in  abundance, 
hewers  and  workers  of  stone  and  timber,  and  all 
manner  of  cunning  men  for  every  manner  of  work. 
Of  the  gold,  the  silver,  and  the  brass,  and  the  iron, 
there  is  no  number.  Arise  therefore,  and  be  doing, 
and  the  Lord  be  with  thee." 

David  also  commanded  all  the  princes  of  Israel 
to  helj)  Solomon  his  son,  saying,  "Is  not  the  Lord 
your  God  with  you.''  and  hath  he  not  given  you 
rest  on  every  side?  for  lie  lialh  given  the  inhabit- 
ants ol'  the  land  into  mine  hand;  and  the  land  is 


KING   SOLOMON'S   CPIOICE        289 

subdued  before  the  Lord,  and  before  his  people. 
Now  set  your  heart  and  your  soul  to  seek  the 
Lord  your  God.  Arise  therefore,  and  build  ye  the 
sanctuary  of  the  Lord  God,  to  bring  the  ark  of 
the  covenant  of  the  Lord,  and  the  holy  vessels 
of  God,  into  the  house  that  is  to  be  built  to  the 
name  of  the  Lord." 

Thus  David  the  son  of  Jesse  reigned  over  all 
Israel.  And  the  time  that  he  reigned  over  Israel 
was  forty  j^ears;  seven  years  reigned  he  in  Hebron, 
and  thirty  and  three  years  reigned  he  in  Jeru- 
salem. And  he  died  In  a  good  old  age  full  of  days, 
riches,  and  honour:  and  Solomon  his  son  reigned 
in  his  stead. 

1  Chronicles,  22,  29 

Other  good  stories  are:  "  The  Message  of  Nathan  the  Pro- 
phet," 2  Samuel,  chap.  7;  "  The  Revolt  of  Sheba  the  Son  of 
Bichri,"  2  Samuel,  chap.  20; "  David  Numbers  Israel,"  1  Chron- 
icles, chap.  21;  "  IIoiv  Solomon  Was  Chosen  King,"  1  Kings, 
chap.  1;  "  The  Last  Words  of  the  Son  of  Jesse,"  2  Samuel,  chap. 
2S,  verses  1-7 

KING   SOLOMON'S   CHOICE 

And  Solomon  the  son  of  David  was  strength- 
ened in  his  kingdom,  and  the  Lord  his  God  was 
with  him,  and  magnified  him  exceedingly. 

Then  Solomon  spake  unto  all  Israel,  to  the  cap- 
tains of  thousands  and  of  hundreds,  and  to  the 
judges,  and  to  every  governor  in  all  Israel,  the 


290  BIBLE  STORIES 

chief  of  the  fathers.  So  Solomon,  and  all  the  con- 
gregation with  him,  went  to  the  high  place  that 
w^as  at  Gibeon;  for  there  was  the  tabernacle  of  the 
congregation  of  God,  which  Moses  the  servant  of 
the  Lord  had  made  in  the  wilderness.  And  Solo- 
man  went  up  thither  to  the  brazen  altar  before 
the  Lord,  which  was  at  the  tabernacle  of  the  con- 
gregation, and  offered  a  thousand  burnt  offerings 
upon  it. 

In  that  night  did  God  appear  unto  Solomon, 
and  said  unto  him,  "Ask  what  I  shall  give  thee." 

And  Solomon  said  unto  God,  "Thou  hast 
shewed  great  mercy  unto  David  my  father,  and 
hast  made  me  to  reign  in  his  stead.  Now,  O  Lord 
God,  let  thy  promise  unto  David  my  father  be 
established:  for  thou  hast  made  me  king  over  a 
people  like  the  dust  of  the  earth  in  multitude. 
Give  me  now  wisdom  and  knowledge,  that  I  may 
go  out  and  come  in  before  this  people:  for  who 
can  judge  this  thy  people,  that  is  so  great.'* " 

And  God  said  to  Solomon,  "Because  this  was 
in  thine  h^^art,  and  thou  hast  not  asked  riches, 
wealth,  or  honour,  nor  the  life  of  thine  enemies, 
neither  yet  hast  asked  long  life;  but  hast  asked 
wisdom  and  knowledge  for  thyself,  that  thou  may- 
est  judge  my  people,  over  whom  I  have  made  thee 
king:  wisdom  and  knowledge  is  granted  unto  thee; 
and  I  will  give  thee  riches,  and  wealth,  and  hon- 
our, such  as  none  of  the  kings  have  had  that  have 


KING   SOLOMON'S   CHOICE        291 

been  before  thee,  neither  shall  there  any  after 
thee  have  the  like." 

And  God  gave  Solomon  wisdom  and  under- 
standing exceeding  much,  and  largeness  of  heart, 
even  as  the  sand  that  is  on  the  sea  shore.  And 
Solomon's  wisdom  excelled  the  wisdom  of  all  the 
children  of  the  east  country,  and  all  the  wisdom 
of  Egypt.  For  he  was  wiser  than  all  men;  than 
Ethan  the  Ezrahite,  and  Heman,  and  Chalcol, 
and  Darda,  the  sons  of  ]Mahol:  and  his  fame  was 
in  all  nations  round  about. 

And  he  spake  three  thousand  proverbs;  and  his 
songs  were  a  thousand  and  five.  And  he  spake  of 
trees,  from  the  cedar  tree  that  is  in  Lebanon  even 
unto  the  hyssop  that  springeth  out  of  the  wall. 
He  spake  also  of  beasts,  and  of  fowl,  and  of  creep- 
ing things,  and  of  fishes. 

And  there  came  of  all  people  to  hear  the  wisdom 
of  Solomon,  from  all  kings  of  the  earth,  which  had 
heard  of  his  wisdom. 

2  Chronicles,  1;  1  Kings,  4 

Some  of  the  wise  loords  of  Solomon  are:  "  Go  to  the  Ant  Thou 
Sliif/gard,''  Proverbs,  chap.  6,  verses  6-11;  "Seven  Things  the 
Lord  Ilatcth"  Proverbs,  chap.  0,  verses  16-19;  "  I  Wisdom," 
Proverbs,  chap.  8;  "  The  (lliitton  and  the  Drunkard,''^  Proverbs, 
chap.  23,  verses  19~3o;  "  The  Ant,  the  Coney,  the  Locust,  and  the 
Spider,''  Proverbs,  chap.  30,  verses  2Jf-2S;  "  The  Lijing  Lips," 
Proverbs,  chap.  12,  verses  17-22  and  Proverbs,  chap.  19,  verse 
9;  "  The  Wicked,"  Proverbs,  chap.  4,  and  Eccle.?iastes,  chap.  S, 
verses  11-13;  ''The  Little  Citi/,"  Ecclesia.stes,  chap.  9,  verses 
13-18;  "  Remember  yaw  Thi/  Creator  in  the  Days  of  Thy 
Youth,"  Ecclesiastes,  chap.  12 


292  BIBLE  STORIES 

THE  JUDGMENT  OF  SOLOMON 

Then  came  there  two  women,  unto  the  king, 
and  stood  before  him. 

And  the  one  woman  said,  "O  my  lord,  I  and 
this  woman  dwell  in  one  house.  And  it  came  to 
pass  we  were  together;  there  was  no  stranger  with 
us  in  the  house,  save  we  two  in  the  house.  And  this 
woman's  child  died  in  the  night;  because  she  over- 
laid it.  And  she  arose  at  midnight,  and  took  my 
son  from  beside  me,  while  thine  handmaid  slept, 
and  laid  it  in  her  bosom,  and  laid  her  dead  child 
in  my  bosom.  And  when  I  rose  in  the  morning, 
behold,  it  was  dead :  but  when  I  had  considered  it 
in  the  morning,  behold,  it  was  not  my  son." 

And  the  other  woman  said,  "Nay;  but  the 
living  is  my  son,  and  the  dead  is  thy  son." 

And  this  said,  "No;  but  the  dead  is  thy  son, and 
the  living  is  my  son."  Thus  they  spake  before  the 
king. 

Then  said  the  king,  "The  one  saith,  'This  is  my 
son  that  liveth,  and  thy  son  is  the  dead:'  and  the 
other  saith,  'Nay;  but  thy  son  is  the  dead,  and 
my  son  is  the  living.' "  And  the  king  said,  "Bring 
me  a  sword."  And  they  brought  a  sword  before 
the  king. 

And  the  king  said,  "  Divide  the  living  child  in 
two,  and  give  half  to  the  one,  and  half  to  the 
other." 


KING    S()U)MON'S   ,11  l)(i>Ii:NT 


TREASURES   OF   KING   SOLOMON    293 

Then  spake  the  woman  whose  the  living  child 
was  unto  the  king,  for  her  bowels  yearned  upon 
her  son,  and  she  said,  "O  my  lord,  give  her  the 
living  child,  and  in  no  wise  slay  it."  But  the  other 
said,  "  Let  it  be  neither  mine  nor  thine,  but  divide 
it." 

Then  the  king  answered  and  said,  "  Give  her 
the  living  child,  and  in  no  wise  slay  it:  she  is  the 
mother  thereof." 

And  all  Israel  heard  of  the  judgment  which 
the  king  had  judged;  and  they  feared  the  king: 
for  they  saw  that  the  wisdom  of  God  was  in  him, 
to  do  judgment. 

1  Kings,  3 

Read  about  "  The  House  of  the  Lord  that  Solomon  Built," 
J  Kings,  chaps,  o,  6,  and  7 

THE  TREASURES  OF  KING   SOLOMON 

And  king  Solomon  made  a  navy  of  ships  in 
Ezion-geber,  which  is  beside  Eloth,  on  the  shore 
of  the  Red  sea.  And  Hiram  (king  of  Tyre)  sent 
in  the  navy  his  servants,  shipmen  that  had  knowl- 
edge of  the  sea,  with  the  servants  of  Solomon. 
And  they  came  to  Ophir,  and  fetched  from  thence 
gold,  four  hundred  and  twenty  talents,  and 
brought  it  to  king  Solomon. 

And  the  navy  also  of  Hiram,  that  brought  gold 
from  Ophir,  brought  in  from  Ophir  great  plenty 


294  BIBLE  STORIES 

of  almug  trees,  and  precious  stones.  And  the  king 
made  of  the  ahnug  trees  pillars  for  the  house  of 
the  Lord  and  for  the  king's  house,  harps  also  and 
psalteries  for  singers:  there  came  no  such  almug 
trees,  nor  were  seen  unto  this  day. 

Now  the  weight  of  gold  that  came  to  Solomon 
in  one  year  was  six  hunch'ed  threescore  and  six 
talents  of  gold,  beside  that  he  had  of  the  mer- 
chantmen, and  of  the  traffick  of  the  spice  mer- 
chants, and  of  all  the  kings  of  Arabia,  and  of  the 
governors  of  the  country. 

And  king  Solomon  made  two  hundred  targets 
of  beaten  gold :  six  hundred  shekels  of  gold  went 
to  one  target.  And  he  made  three  hundred  shields 
of  beaten  gold;  three  pounds  of  gold  went  to  one 
shield.  And  the  king  put  them  in  the  house  of  the 
forest  of  Lebanon. 

INIoreover  the  king  made  a  great  throne  of  ivory 
and  overlaid  it  with  the  best  gold.  The  throne  had 
six  steps,  and  the  top  of  the  throne  was  round  be- 
hind: and  there  were  stays  on  either  side  on  the 
place  of  the  seat,  and  two  lions  stood  beside  the 
stays.  And  twelve  lions  stood  there  on  the  one 
side  and  on  the  other  upon  the  six  steps :  there  was 
not  the  like  made  in  any  kingdom. 

And  all  king  Solomon's  drinking  vessels  were 
of  gold,  and  all  the  vessels  of  the  house  of  the 
forest  of  Lebanon  were  of  pure  gold;  none  were  of 
silver.  It  was  nothing  accounted  of  in  the  days  of 


TREASURES  OF  KING  SOLOMON    295 

Solomon.  For  the  king  had  at  sea  a  navy  of  Thar- 
shish  with  the  navy  of  Hiram :  once  in  three  years 
came  the  navy  of  Tharshish,  bringing  gold,  and 
silver,  ivory,  and  apes,  and  peacocks. 

So  king  Solomon  exceeded  all  the  kings  of  the 
earth  for  riches  and  for  wisdom. 

And  all  the  earth  sought  to  Solomon,  to  hear 
his  wisdom,  which  God  had  put  in  his  heart.  And 
they  brought  every  man  his  present,  vessels  of  sil- 
ver, and  vessels  of  gold,  and  garments,  and  armour, 
and  spices,  horses,  and  mules,  a  rate  year  by  year. 

And  Solomon  gathered  together  chariots  and 
horsemen :  and  he  had  a  thousand  and  four  hun- 
dred chariots,  and  twelve  thousand  horse-men, 
whom  he  bestowed  in  the  cities  for  chariots,  and 
with  the  king  at  Jerusalem. 

And  the  king  made  silver  to  be  in  Jerusalem  as 
stones,  and  cedars  made  he  to  be  as  the  sycamore 
trees  that  are  in  the  vale,  for  abundance. 

And  Solomon  ^  had  horses  brought  out  of 
Egypt,  and  linen  yarn:  the  king's  merchants  re- 
ceived the  linen  yarn  at  a  price.  And  a  chariot 
came  up  and  went  out  of  Egypt  for  six  hundred 
shekels  of  silver,  and  an  horse  for  an  himdrcd  and 
fifty:  and  so  for  all  the  kings  of  the  Hittites,  and 
for  the  kings  of  Syria,  did  they  bring  them  out  by 
their  means. 

1  Kings,  9,  10 

*  See  pages  179-80. 


296  BIBLE   STORIES 

THE  QUEEN  OF  SHEBA 

And  when  the  queen  of  Sheba  heard  of  the  fame 
of  Solomon  concerning  the  name  of  the  Lord,  she 
came  to  prove  him  with  hard  questions.  And  she 
came  to  Jerusalem  with  a  very  great  train,  with 
camels  that  bare  spices,  and  very  much  gold,  and 
precious  stones. 

And  when  she  was  come  to  Solomon,  she  com- 
muned with  him  of  all  that  was  in  her  heart.  And 
Solomon  told  her  all  her  questions:  there  was  not 
any  thing  hid  from  the  king,  which  he  told  her 
not. 

And  when  the  queen  of  Sheba  had  seen  all 
Solomon's  wisdom,  and  the  house  that  he  had 
built,  and  the  meat  of  his  table,  and  the  sitting  of 
his  servants,  and  the  attendance  of  his  ministers, 
and  their  apparel,  and  his  cupbearers,  and  his 
ascent  by  wliicli  he  went  up  unto  the  house  of  the 
Lord;  there  was  no  more  spirit  in  her. 

And  she  said  to  the  king,  "  It  was  a  true  report 
that  I  heard  in  mine  own  land  of  thy  acts  and  of 
thy  wisdom.  Ilowbeit  I  believed  not  the  words, 
until  I  came,  and  mine  eyes  had  seen  it.  And, 
behold,  the  half  was  not  told  me.  Thy  wisdom 
and  prosj)erity  cxceedeth  the  fame  which  I  heard. 
IIapi)y  are  thy  men,  happy  are  these  thy  serv- 
ants, which  stand  continually  before  thee,  and  that 
hear  thy  wisdom.   Blessed  be  the  Lord  thy  God, 


KING   SOLOMON'S  SIN  297 

which  dehghted  in  thee,  to  set  thee  on  the  throne 
of  Israel.  Because  the  Lord  loved  Israel  for  ever, 
therefore  made  he  thee  king,  to  do  judgment  and 
justice." 

And  she  gave  the  king  an  hundred  and  twenty 
talents  of  gold,  and  of  spices  very  great  store,  and 
precious  stones.  There  came  no  more  such  abun- 
dance of  spices  as  these  which  the  queen  of  Sheba 
gave  to  king  Solomon. 

And  king  Solomon  gave  unto  the  queen  of 
Sheba  all  her  desire,  whatsoever  she  asked,  be- 
side that  which  Solomon  gave  her  of  his  royal 
bounty. 

So  she  turned  and  went  to  her  own  country,  she 
and  her  servants. 

1  Kings,  10 

KING  SOLOMON'S  SIN 

But  king  Solomon  loved  many  strange  women, 
together  with  the  daughter  of  Pharaoh,  women  of 
the  Moabites,  Ammonites,  Edomites,  Zidonians, 
and  Hittites;  of  the  nations  concerning  which  the 
Lord  said  unto  the  children  of  Israel,  "Ye  shall 
not  go  in  to  them,  neither  shall  they  come  in  unto 
you:  for  surely  they  will  turn  away  your  heart 
after  their  gods."  Solomon  clave  unto  these  in 
love. 

And  he  had  seven  hundred  wives,  princesses, 


298  BIBLE   STORIES 

and  three  hundred  concubines.  And  his  wives 
turned  away  his  heart. 

For  it  came  to  pass,  when  Solomon  was  old, 
that  his  wives  turned  away  his  heart  after  other 
gods.  And  his  heart  was  not  perfect  with  the 
Lord  his  God,  as  was  the  heart  of  David  his  father. 
For  Solomon  went  after  Ashtoreth  the  goddess  of 
the  Zidonians,  and  after  Milcom  the  abomination 
of  the  Ammonites. 

And  Solomon  did  evil  in  the  sight  of  the  Lord, 
and  went  not  fully  after  the  Lord,  as  did  David 
his  father.  Then  did  Solomon  build  an  high  place 
for  Chemosh,  the  abomination  of  Moab,  in  the 
hill  that  is  before  Jerusalem,  and  for  Molech,  the 
abomination  of  the  children  of  Amnion.  And  like- 
wise did  he  for  all  his  strange  wives,  which  burnt 
incense  and  sacrificed  unto  their  gods.^ 

And  the  Lord  was  angry  with  Solomon,  be- 
cause his  hea^t  was  turned  from  the  Lord  God  of 
Israel,  which  had  appeared  unto  him  twice,  and 
had  commanded  him  concerning  this  thing,  that 
he  should  not  go  after  other  gods:  but  he  kept  not 
that  which  the  Lord  commanded. 

Wherefore  the  Lord  said  unto  Solomon,  "For  as 
much  as  this  is  done  of  thee,  and  thou  hast  not 
kept  my  covenant  and  my  statutes,  wliicli  I  have 
commanded  thee,  I  will  surely  rend  the  kingdom 
from  thee,  and  will  give  it  to  thy  servant.   Not- 

1  See  pagea  177-78;  and  180. 


KING  SOLOMON'S  SIN  299 

withstanding  in  thy  days  I  will  not  do  it  for  David 
thy  father's  sake:  but  I  will  rend  it  out  of  the  hand 
of  thy  son.  Howbeit  I  will  not  rend  away  all  the 
kingdom;  but  will  give  one  tribe  to  thy  son  for 
David  my  servant's  sake,  and  for  Jerusalem's  sake 
which  I  have  chosen." 

1  Kings,  11 

Read  about  "  Solomon's  Adversaries,"  1  Kings,  chap.  11 


fflieKim^ottto]  tktm&tbrs 


Yet  the  Lord  testified  against  Israel,  and  against  Judah,  by 
all  the  prophets,  and  by  all  the  seers,  saying,  "  Turn  ye  from 
your  evil  ways,  and  keep  my  commandments  and  my  statutes, 
according  to  all  the  law  which  I  commanded  your  fathers,  and 
which  I  sent  to  you  by  my  servants  the  prophets.'" 

Notwithstanding  they  would  not  hear,  but  hardened  their 
necks,  like  to  the  neck  of  their  fathers,  that  did  not  believe  in  the 
Lord  their  God. 

Therefore  the  Lord  was  very  angry  with  Israel,  and  removed 
them  out  of  his  sight:  there  was  none  left  but  the  tribe  of  Judah 
only. 

2  Kings,  17 


THE  NEW  GARMENT  RENT  IN 
TWELVE  PIECES 

'nd  Jeroboam  the  son  of  Nebat,  Solo- 
mon's  servant,   whose    mother's    name 
was  Zeruah,  a  widow  woman,  even  he 
lifted  up  his  hand  against  the  king. 

And  this  was  the  cause  that  he  lifted  up  his 
hand  against  the  king:  Solomon  built  Millo, 
and  repaired  the  breaches  of  the  city  of  David 
his  father.  And  the  man  Jeroboam  was  a  mighty 
man  of  valour:  and  Solomon  seeing  the  young 
man  that  he  was  industrious,  he  made  him  ruler 
over  all  the  charge  of  the  house  of  Joseph. 

And  it  came  to  pass  at  that  time  when  Jero- 
boam went  out  of  Jerusalem,  that  the  prophet 
Ahijah  the  Shilonite  found  him  in  the  way;  and  he 
had  clad  himself  with  a  new  garment;  and  they 
two  were  alone  in  the  field :  and  Ahijah  caught  the 
new  garment  that  w^as  on  him,  and  rent  it  in 
twelve  pieces.  And  he  said  to  Jeroboam,  "Take 
thee  ten  pieces:  for  thus  saith  the  Lord,  the  God 
of  Israel,  '  Behold,  I  will  rend  the  kingdom  out  of 
the  hand  of  Solomon,  and  will  give  ten  tribes  to 
thee :  (but  he  shall  have  one  tribe  for  my  servant 
David's  sake,  and  for  Jerusalem's  sake,  the  city 
which  I  have  chosen  out  of  all  the  tribes  of  Israel :) 


304  BIBLE  STORIES 

Because  that  they  have  forsaken  me,  and  have 
worshipped  Ashtoreth  the  goddess  of  the  Zidon- 
ians,  Chemosh  the  god  of  the  Moabites,  and  Mil- 
corn  the  god  of  the  children  of  Animon,  and  have 
not  walked  in  my  ways,  to  do  that  which  is  right 
in  mine  eyes,  and  to  keep  my  statutes  and  my 
judgments,  as  did  David  his  father. 

'"Howbeit  I  will  not  take  the  whole  kingdom 
out  of  his  hand :  but  I  will  make  him  prince  all  the 
days  of  his  life  for  David  my  servant's  sake,  whom 
I  chose,  because  he  kept  my  commandments  and 
my  statutes.  But  I  will  take  the  kingdom  out  of 
his  son's  hand,  and  will  give  it  unto  thee,  even 
ten  tribes.  And  unto  his  son  will  I  give  one  tribe, 
that  David  my  servant  may  have  a  light  alway 
before  me  in  Jerusalem,  the  city  which  I  have 
chosen  me  to  put  my  name  there. 

"'And  I  will  take  thee,  and  thou  shalt  reign 
according  to  all  that  thy  soul  desireth,  and  shalt 
be  king  over  Israel.  And  it  shall  be,  if  thou  wilt 
hearken  unto  all  that  I  command  thee,  and  wilt 
walk  in  my  ways,  and  do  that  is  right  in  my  sight, 
to  keep  my  statutes  and  my  commandments,  as 
David  my  servant  did;  that  I  will  be  with  thee, 
and  build  thee  a  sure  house,  as  I  built  for  David, 
and  will  give  Israel  unto  thee.  And  I  will  for  this 
afflict  the  seed  of  David,  but  not  for  ever.'" 

Solomon  sought  therefore  to  kill  Jeroboam. 
And  Jeroboam  arose,  and  fled  into  Egypt,  unto 


REBELLION   OF  THE  TEN  TRIBES    305 

Shishak  king  of  Egypt,  and  was  in  Egypt  until 
the  death  of  Solomon. 

And  the  rest  of  the  acts  of  Solomon,  and  all  that 
he  did,  and  his  wisdom,  are  they  not  written  in 
the  book  of  the  acts  of  Solomon?  And  the  time 
that  Solomon  reigned  in  Jerusalem  over  all  Israel 
was  forty  years.  And  Solomon  slept  with  his 
fathers,  and  was  buried  in  the  city  of  David  his 
father;  and  Rehoboam  his  son  reigned  in  his  stead. 

1  Kings,  11 

HOW  THE  TEN  TRIBES  REBELLED 

AND  MADE   A  KINGDOM  OF 

THEIR  OWN 

And  Rehoboam  went  to  Shechem:  for  to  She- 
chem  were  all  Israel  come  to  make  him  king.  And 
it  came  to  pass,  when  Jeroboam  the  son  of  Nebat, 
who  was  in  Egypt,  whither  he  had  fled  from  the 
presence  of  Solomon  the  king,  heard  it,  that  Jero- 
boam returned  out  of  Egypt. 

And  they  sent  and  called  him.  So  Jeroboam 
and  all  Israel  came  and  spake  to  Rehoboam,  say- 
ing, "Thy  father  made  our  yoke  grievous.  Now 
therefore  ease  thou  somewhat  the  grievous  servi- 
tude of  thy  father,  and  his  heavy  yoke  that  he 
put  upon  us,  and  we  will  serve  thee."  And  he  said 
unto  them,  "Come  again  unto  me  after  three 
days."   And  the  people  departed. 


306  BIBLE   STORIES 

And  king  Rehoboam  took  counsel  with  the  old 
men  that  had  stood  before  Solomon  his  father 
while  he  yet  lived,  saying,  "What  counsel  give 
ye  me  to  return  answer  to  this  people?"  And 
they  spake  unto  him,  saying,  "  If  thou  be  kind  to 
this  people,  and  please  them,  and  speak  good  words 
to  them,  they  will  be  thy  servants  for  ever." 

But  he  forsook  the  counsel  which  the  old  men 
gave  him,  and  took  counsel  with  the  young  men 
that  were  brought  up  with  him,  that  stood  before 
him.  And  he  said  unto  them,  "  What  advice  give 
ye  that  we  may  return  answer  to  this  people, 
which  have  spoken  to  me,  saying,  'Ease  some- 
what the  yoke  that  thy  father  did  put  upon  us? ' " 

And  the  young  men  that  were  brought  up  with 
him  spake  unto  him,  saying,  "  Thus  shalt  thou 
answer  the  people  that  spake  unto  thee,  saying, 
'Thy  father  made  our  yoke  heavy,  but  make  thou 
it  somewhat  lighter  for  us;'  thus  shalt  thou  say 
unto  them,  'My  little  finger  shall  be  thicker  than 
my  father's  loins.  For  whereas  my  father  put  a 
heavy  yoke  upon  you,  I  will  put  more  to  your 
yoke.  ]\Iy  father  chastised  you  with  whips,  but 
I  will  chastise  you  with  scorpions.'" 

So  Jeroboam  and  all  the  people  came  to  Reho- 
boam on  the  third  day,  as  the  king  bade,  saying, 
"Come  again  to  me  on  the  third  day."  And  the 
king  answered  them  roughly;  and  king  Rehoboam 
forsook  the  counsel  of  the  old  men,  and  answered 


REBELLION   OF  THE  TEN  TRIBES    307 

them  after  the  advice  of  the  young  men,  saying, 
"My  father  made  your  yoke  heavy,  but  I  will 
add  thereto.  My  father  chastised  you  with  whips, 
but  I  will  chastise  you  with  scorpions." 

So  the  king  hearkened  not  unto  the  people :  for 
the  cause  was  of  God,  that  the  Lord  might  per- 
form his  word,  which  he  spake  by  the  hand  of 
Ahijah  the  Shilonite  to  Jeroboam  the  son  of 
Nebat. 

And  when  all  Israel  saw  that  the  king  would  not 
hearken  unto  them,  the  people  answered  the  king, 
saying,  "  What  portion  have  we  in  David.'*  and  we 
have  none  inheritance  in  the  son  of  Jesse.  Every 
man  to  your  tents,  O  Israel.  And  now,  David,  see 
to  thine  own  house."  So  all  Israel  went  to  their 
tents. 

But  as  for  the  children  of  Israel  that  dwelt  in 
the  cities  of  Judah,  Rehoboam  reigned  over  them. 

Then  king  Rehoboam  sent  Hadoram  that  was 
over  the  tribute;  and  the  children  of  Israel  stoned 
him  with  stones,  that  he  died.  But  king  Reho- 
boam made  speed  to  get  him  up  to  his  chariot,  to 
flee  to  Jersualem. 

And  Israel  rebelled  against  the  house  of  David 
unto  this  day. 

2  Chronicles,  10 


308  BIBLE   STORIES 

THE  WICKED  JEROBOAM  WHO 
MADE   ISRAEL  TO   SIN 

Then  Jeroboam  built  Shechem  in  mount  Eph- 
raim,  and  dwelt  therein;  and  went  out  from  thence, 
and  built  Penuel.  And  Jeroboam  said  in  his  heart, 
"  Now  shall  the  kingdom  return  to  the  house  of 
David:  if  this  people  go  up  to  do  sacrifice  in  the 
house  of  the  Lord  at  Jerusalem,  then  shall  the 
heart  of  this  people  turn  again  unto  their  lord, 
even  unto  Rehoboam  king  of  Judah,  and  they 
shall  kill  me,  and  go  again  to  Rehoboam  king  of 
Judah." 

Whereupon  the  king  took  counsel,  and  made 
two  calves  of  gold,  and  said  unto  them,  "  It  is  too 
much  for  you  to  go  up  to  Jerusalem.  Behold  thy 
gods,  O  Israel,  which  brought  thee  up  out  of  the 
land  of  Egypt." 

And  he  set  the  one  in  Beth-el,  and  the  other  put 
he  in  Dan.  And  this  thing  became  a  sin:  for  the 
people  went  to  worship  before  the  one,  even  unto 
Dan. 

And  he  made  an  house  of  high  places,  and  made 
priests  of  the  lowest  of  the  people,  which  were  not 
of  the  sons  of  Levi.  And  Jeroboam  ordained  a 
feast  in  the  eighth  month,  on  the  fifteenth  day  of 
the  month,  like  unto  the  feast  that  is  in  Judah, 
and  he  offered  upon  the  altar.  So  did  he  in  Beth-el 
sacrificing  unto  the  calves  that  he  had   made. 


THE  WICKED   JEROBOAM         309 

And  he  placed  in  Beth-el  the  priests  of  the  high 
places  which  he  had  made.  So  he  offered  upon  the 
altar  which  he  had  made  in  Beth-el  the  fifteenth 
day  of  the  eighth  month. 

And,  behold,  there  came  a  man  of  God  out  of 
Judah  by  the  word  of  the  Lord  unto  Beth-el;  and 
Jeroboam  stood  by  the  altar  to  burn  incense. 

And  he  cried  against  the  altar  in  the  word  of 
the  Lord,  and  said,  "O  altar,  altar,  thus  saith  the 
Lord ; '  Behold,  a  child  shall  be  born  unto  the  house 
of  David,  Josiah  ^  by  name;  and  upon  thee  shall 
he  offer  the  priests  of  the  high  places  that  burn 
incense  upon  thee,  and  men's  bones  shall  be  burnt 
upon  thee.' " 

And  he  gave  a  sign  the  same  day,  saying,  "This 
is  the  sign  which  the  Lord  hath  spoken;  'Behold, 
the  altar  shall  be  rent,  and  the  ashes  that  are 
upon  it  shall  be  poured  out.'  " 

And  it  came  to  pass,  when  king  Jeroboam  heard 
the  saying  of  the  man  of  God,  which  had  cried 
against  the  altar  in  Beth-el,  that  he  put  forth  his 
hand  from  the  altar,  saying,  "Lay  hold  on  him." 
And  his  hand,  which  he  put  forth  against  him, 
dried  up,  so  that  he  could  not  pull  it  in  again  to 
him. 

The  altar  also  was  rent,  and  the  ashes  poured 
out  from  the  altar,  according  to  the  sign  which  the 
man  of  God  had  given  by  the  word  of  the  Lord. 

*  See  page  374. 


310  BIBLE  STORIES 

And  the  king  answered  and  said  unto  the  man 
of  God,  "Intreat  now  the  face  of  the  Lord  thy 
God,  and  pray  for  me,  that  my  hand  may  be  re- 
stored me  again."  And  the  man  of  God  besought 
the  Lord,  and  the  king's  hand  was  restored  him 
again,  and  became  as  it  was  before. 

And  the  king  said  unto  the  man  of  God,  "  Come 
home  with  me,  and  refresh  thyself,  and  I  will  give 
thee  a  reward." 

And  the  man  of  God  said  unto  the  king,  "  If 
thou  wilt  give  me  half  thine  house,  I  will  not  go  in 
with  thee,  neither  will  I  eat  bread  nor  drink  water 
in  this  place.  For  so  was  it  charged  me  by  the 
word  of  the  Lord,  saying,  'Eat  no  bread,  nor 
drink  water,  nor  turn  again  by  the  same  way  that 
thou  camest.'" 

So  he  went  another  way,  and  returned  not  by 
the  way  that  he  came  to  Beth-el. 

1  Kings,  12,  13 

Other  interesting  stories  are  "  The  Prophet  Who  Disobeyed" 
1  Kings,  chap.  13;  "  IIoiv  Jeroboam  JJ'as  Cursed,"  1  Kings, 
«hap.  lit;  "  The  Evil  Kings  of  Israel,"  1  Kings,  chap.  16 

KING  AHAB  THE  WICKED 

And  Ahab  the  son  of  Omri  reigned  over  Israel 
in  Samaria  twenty  and  two  years.  And  Ahab  the 
son  of  Omri  did  evil  in  the  sight  of  the  Lord  above 
all  that  were  before  him. 


THE  RAVENS  THAT  FED  ELIJAH    311 

And  it  came  to  pass,  as  if  it  had  been  a  liglit 
thing  for  him  to  walk  in  the  sins  of  Jeroboam  the 
son  of  Nebat,  that  he  took  to  wife  Jezebel  the 
daughter  of  Ethbaal  king  of  the  Zidonians,  and 
went  and  served  Baal,  and  worshipped  him.  And 
he  reared  up  an  altar  for  Baal  in  the  house  of 
Baal,  which  he  had  built  in  Samaria. 

And  Ahab  made  a  grove;  and  Ahah  did  more  to 
provoke  the  Lord  God  of  Israel  to  anger  than  all 
the  kings  of  Israel  that  were  before  him. 

In  his  days  did  Hiel  the  Bethelite  build  Jericho: 
he  laid  the  foundation  thereof  in  Abiram  his  first- 
born, and  set  up  the  gates  thereof  in  his  youngest 
son  Segub,  according  to  the  word  of  the  Lord, 
which  he  spake  by  Joshua  the  son  of  Nun.^ 

1  Kings,  16 

THE  RAVENS  THAT   FED   ELIJAH 

And  Elijah  the  Tishbite,  who  was  of  the  in- 
habitants of  Gilead,  said  unto  Ahab,  "As  the  Lord 
God  of  Israel  liveth,  before  whom  I  stand,  there 
shall  not  be  dew  nor  rain  these  years,  but  accord- 
ing to  my  word." 

And  the  word  of  the  Lord  came  to  him,  say- 
ing, "Get  thee  hence,  and  turn  thee  eastward,  and 
hide  thyself  by  the  brook  Cherith,  that  is  before 
Jordan.   And  it  shall  be,  that  thou  shalt  drink  of 

*  See  page  198. 


312  BIBLE  STORIES 

the  brook;  and  I  have  commanded  the  ravens  to 
feed  thee  there." 

So  he  went  and  did  according  unto  the  word  of 
the  Lord:  for  he  went  and  dwelt  by  the  brook 
Cherith,  that  is  before  Jordan.  And  the  ravens 
brought  him  bread  and  flesh  in  the  morning,  and 
bread  and  flesh  in  the  evening;  and  he  drank  of 
the  brook. 

And  it  came  to  pass  after  a  while,  that  the  brook 
dried  up,  because  there  had  been  no  rain  in  the 
land. 

1  Kings,  17 

ELIJAH  AND  THE  \\TDOW'S  SON 

And  the  word  of  the  Lord  came  unto  him,  say- 
ing, "Arise,  get  thee  to  Zarephath,  which  be- 
longeth  to  Zidon,  and  dwell  there.  Behold,  I  have 
commanded  a  widow  woman  there  to  sustain 
thee." 

So  he  arose  and  went  to  Zarephath.  And  when 
he  came  to  the  gate  of  the  city,  behold,  the  widow 
woman  was  there  gathering  of  sticks.  And  he 
called  to  her,  and  said,  "Fetch  me,  I  pray  thee, 
a  little  water  in  a  vessel,  that  I  may  drink."  And 
as  she  was  going  to  fetch  it,  he  called  to  her,  and 
said,  "Bring  me,  I  pray  thee,  a  morsel  of  bread 
in  thine  hand." 

And  she  said,  "As  the  Lord  thy  God  liveth,  I 


ELIJAH  AND  THE  WIDOW'S  SON     313 

have  not  a  cake,  but  an  handful  of  meal  in  a  bar- 
rel, and  a  little  oil  in  a  cruse.  And,  behold,  I  am 
gathering  two  sticks,  that  I  may  go  in  and  dress 
it  for  me  and  my  son,  that  we  may  eat  it,  and 
die." 

And  Elijah  said  unto  her,  "Fear  not.  Go  and 
do  as  thou  hast  said.  But  make  me  thereof  a  little 
cake  first,  and  bring  it  unto  me,  and  after  make 
for  thee  and  for  thy  son.  For  thus  saith  the  Lord 
God  of  Israel,  'The  barrel  of  meal  shall  not  waste, 
neither  shall  the  cruse  of  oil  fail,  until  the  day  that 
the  Lord  sendeth  rain  upon  the  earth.'" 

And  she  went  and  did  according  to  the  saying 
of  Elijah.  And  she,  and  he,  and  her  house,  did 
eat  many  days.  And  the  barrel  of  meal  wasted 
not,  neither  did  the  cruse  of  oil  fail,  according  to 
the  word  of  the  Lord,  which  he  spake  by  Elijah. 

And  it  came  to  pass  after  these  things,  that  the 
son  of  the  woman,  the  mistress  of  the  house,  fell 
sick;  and  his  sickness  was  so  sore,  that  there  was 
no  breath  left  in  him.  And  she  said  unto  Elijah, 
"What  have  I  to  do  with  thee,  O  thou  man  of 
God.^  art  thou  come  unto  me  to  call  my  sin  to 
remembrance,  and  to  slay  my  son?" 

And  he  said  unto  her,  "Give  me  thy  son."  And 
he  took  him  out  of  her  bosom,  and  carried  him 
up  into  a  loft,  where  he  abode,  and  laid  him  upon 
his  own  bed. 

And  he  cried  unto  the  Lord,  and  said,  "O  Lord 


314  BIBLE  STORIES 

my  God,  hast  thou  also  brought  evil  upon  the 
widow  with  whom  I  sojourn,  by  slaying  her  son?  " 
And  he  stretched  himself  upon  the  child  three 
times,  and  cried  unto  the  Lord,  and  said,  "O 
Lord  my  God,  I  pray  thee,  let  this  child's  soul 
come  into  him  again." 

And  the  Lord  heard  the  voice  of  Elijah;  and  the 
soul  of  the  child  came  into  him  again,  and  he 
revived.  And  Elijah  took  the  child,  and  brought 
him  down  out  of  the  chamber  into  the  house,  and 
delivered  him  unto  his  mother:  and  Elijah  said, 
"See,  thy  son  liveth," 

And  the  woman  said  to  Elijah,  "Now  by  this 
I  know  that  thou  art  a  man  of  God,  and  that  the 
word  of  the  Lord  in  thy  mouth  is  truth." 

1  Kings,  17 

BAAL'S  PROPHETS 

And  it  came  to  pass  after  many  days,  that  the 
word  of  the  Lord  came  to  Elijah  in  the  third  year, 
saying,  "  Go,  shew  thyself  unto  Ahab;  and  I  will 
send  rain  upon  the  earth."  And  Elijah  went  to 
shew  himself  unto  Ahab. 

And  there  was  a  sore  famine  in  Samaria.  And 
Ahab  called  Obadiah,  which  was  the  governor  of 
his  house.  (Now  Obadiah  feared  the  Lord  greatly : 
for  it  was  so,  when  Jezebel  cut  off  the  prophets 
of  the  Lord,  that  Obadiah  took  an  hundred  pro- 


BAAL'S  PROPHETS  315 

phets,  and  hid  them  by  fifty  in  a  cave,  and  fed 
them  with  bread  and  water.)  And  Ahab  said  unto 
Obadiah,  "Go  into  the  land,  unto  all  fountains 
of  water,  and  unto  all  brooks.  Perad venture  we 
may  find  grass  to  save  the  horses  and  mules  alive, 
that  we  lose  not  all  the  beasts,"  So  they  divided 
the  land  between  them  to  pass  throughout  it: 
Ahab  went  one  way  by  himself,  and  Obadiah 
went  another  way  by  hunself. 

And  as  Obadiah  was  in  the  way,  behold,  Elijah 
met  him:  and  he  knew  him,  and  fell  on  his  face, 
and  said,  "Art  thou  that  my  lord  Elijah?"  And 
he  answered  him,  "I  am:  go,  tell  thy  lord,  'Be- 
hold, Elijah  is  here.'" 

And  he  said,  "What  have  I  sinned,  that  thou 
wouldest  deliver  thy  servant  into  the  hand  of 
Ahab,  to  slay  me?  As  the  Lord  thy  God  liveth, 
there  is  no  nation  or  kingdom,  whither  my  Lord 
hath  not  sent  to  seek  thee.  And  when  they  said, 
*He  is  not  there,'  he  took  an  oath  of  the  kingdom 
and  nation,  that  they  found  thee  not.  And  now 
thou  sayest,  'Go,  tell  thy  lord,  "Behold,  Elijah  is 
here." '  And  it  shall  come  to  pass,  as  soon  as  I  am 
gone  from  thee,  that  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord  shall 
carry  thee  whither  I  know  not;  and  so  when  I 
come  and  tell  Ahab,  and  he  cannot  find  thee,  he 
shall  slay  me :  but  I  thy  servant  fear  the  Lord  from 
my  youth.  Was  it  not  told  my  lord  what  I  did 
when  Jezebel  slew  the  prophets  of  the  Lord,  how 


316  BIBLE  STORIES 

I  hid  an  hundred  men  of  the  Lord's  prophets  by 
fifty  in  a  cave,  and  fed  them  with  bread  and  water? 
And  now  thou  sayest, '  Go,  tell  thy  lord,  "  Behold, 
Elijah  is  here:" '  and  he  shall  slay  me." 

And  Elijah  said,  "As  the  Lord  of  hosts  liveth, 
before  whom  I  stand,  I  will  surely  shew  myself 
unto  him  to  day." 

So  Obadiah  went  to  meet  Ahab,  and  told  him; 
and  Ahab  went  to  meet  Elijah.  And  it  came  to 
pass,  when  Ahab  saw  Elijah,  that  Ahab  said  unto 
him,  "Art  thou  he  that  troubleth  Israel?" 

And  he  answered,  "I  have  not  troubled  Israel: 
but  thou,  and  thy  father's  house,  in  that  ye  have 
forsaken  the  commandments  of  the  Lord,  and 
thou  hast  followed  Baalim.  Now  therefore  send, 
and  gather  to  me  all  Israel  unto  mount  Carmel, 
and  the  prophets  of  Baal  four  hundred  and  fifty, 
and  the  prophets  of  the  groves  four  hundred, 
which  eat  at  Jezebel's  table." 

So  Ahab  sent  unto  all  the  children  of  Israel, 
and  gathered  the  prophets  together  unto  mount 
Carmel. 

And  Elijah  came  unto  all  the  people,  and  said, 
"How  long  halt  ye  between  two  opinions?  if  the 
Lord  be  God,  follow  him;  but  if  Baal,  then  follow 
him."   And  the  people  answered  him  not  a  word. 

Then  said  Elijah  unto  the  people,  "I,  even  I 
only,  remain  a  ])r()i)het  of  the  Lord;  but  Baal's 
prophets  are  four  hundred  and  fifty  men.    Let 


BAAL'S  PROPHETS  317 

them  thereiore  give  us  two  bullocks;  and  let  them 
choose  one  bullock  for  themselves,  and  cut  it  in 
pieces,  and  lay  it  on  wood,  and  put  no  fire  under. 
And  I  will  dress  the  other  bullock,  and  lay  it  on 
wood,  and  put  no  fire  under.  And  call  ye  on  the 
name  of  your  gods,  and  I  will  call  on  the  name  of 
the  Lord:  and  the  God  that  answereth  by  fire, 
let  him  be  God." 

And  all  the  people  answered  and  said,  "It  is 
well  spoken." 

And  Elijah  said  unto  the  prophets  of  Baal, 
"Choose  you  one  bullock  for  yourselves,  and 
dress  it  first;  for  ye  are  many;  and  call  on  the 
name  of  your  gods,  but  put  no  fire  under." 

And  they  took  the  bullock  which  was  given 
them,  and  they  dressed  it,  and  called  on  the  name 
of  Baal  from  morning  even  until  noon,  saying, 
"O  Baal,  hear  us! "  But  there  was  no  voice,  nor 
any  that  answered.  And  they  leaped  upon  the 
altar  which  was  made. 

And  it  came  to  pass  at  noon,  that  Elijah 
mocked  them,  and  said,  "Cry  aloud!  for  he  is  a 
god.  Either  he  is  talking,  or  he  is  pursuing,  or  he 
is  in  a  journey,  or  peradventure  he  sleepeth,  and 
must  be  awaked." 

And  they  cried  aloud,  and  cut  themselves  after 
their  manner  with  knives  and  lancets,  till  the 
blood  gushed  out  upon  them.  And  it  came  to  pass, 
when  midday  was  past,  and  they  prophesied  until 


318  BIBLE  STORIES 

the  time  of  the  offering  of  the  evening  sacrifice, 
that  there  was  neither  voice,  nor  any  to  answer, 
nor  any  that  regarded. 

And  Elijah  said  unto  all  the  people,  "Come 
near  unto  me."  And  all  the  people  came  near 
unto  him.  And  he  repaired  the  altar  of  the  Lord 
that  was  broken  down.  And  Elijah  took  twelve 
stones,  according  to  the  number  of  the  tribes  of 
the  sons  of  Jacob,  unto  whom  the  word  of  the 
Lord  came,  saying,  "Israel  shall  be  thy  name:" 
and  with  the  stones  he  built  an  altar  in  the  name 
of  the  Lord.  And  he  made  a  trench  about  the 
altar,  as  great  as  would  contain  two  measures  of 
seed. 

And  he  put  the  wood  in  order,  and  cut  the  bul- 
lock in  pieces,  and  laid  it  on  the  wood,  and  said, 
"Fill  four  barrels  with  water,  and  pour  it  on  the 
burnt  sacrifice,  and  on  the  wood."  And  he  said, 
"  Do  it  the  second  time."  And  they  did  it  the  sec- 
ond time.  And  he  said,  "Do  it  the  third  time." 
And  they  did  it  the  third  time.  And  the  water  ran 
round  about  the  altar;  and  he  filled  the  trench  also 
with  water. 

And  it  came  to  pass  at  the  time  of  the  offering 
of  the  evening  sacrifice,  that  Elijah  the  prophet 
came  near,  and  said,  "Lord  God  of  Abraham, 
Isaac,  and  of  Israel,  let  it  be  known  this  day  that 
thou  art  God  in  Israel,  and  that  I  am  thy  servant, 
and  that  I  have  done  all  these  things  at  thy  word. 


BAAL'S   PROPHETS  319 

Hear  me,  O  Lord,  hear  me,  that  tin's  people  may 
know  that  thou  art  the  Lord  God,  and  that  thou 
hast  turned  their  heart  back  again." 

Then  the  fire  of  the  Lord  fell,  and  consumed 
the  burnt  sacrifice,  and  the  wood,  and  the  stones, 
and  the  dust,  and  licked  up  the  water  that  was  in 
the  trench. 

And  when  all  the  people  saw  it,  they  fell  on 
their  faces:  and  they  said,  "The  Lord,  he  is  the 
God;  the  Lord,  he  is  the  God." 

And  Elijah  said  unto  them,  "Take  the  proph- 
ets of  Baal.  Let  not  one  of  them  escape."  And 
they  took  them.  And  Elijah  brought  them  down 
to  the  brook  Kishon,  and  slew  them  there. 

And  Elijah  said  unto  Ahab,  "Get  thee  up,  eat 
and  drink;  for  there  is  a  sound  of  abundance  of 
rain."   So  Ahab  went  up  to  eat  and  to  drink. 

And  Elijah  went  up  to  the  top  of  Carmel;  and 
he  cast  himself  down  upon  the  earth,  and  put  his 
face  between  his  knees;  and  said  to  his  servant, 
"Go  up  now,  look  toward  the  sea."  And  he  went 
up,  and  looked,  and  said,  "There  is  nothing." 
And  he  said,  "Go  again  seven  times." 

And  it  came  to  pass  at  the  seventh  time,  that 
he  said,  "Behold,  there  ariseth  a  little  cloud 
out  of  the  sea,  like  a  man's  hand."  And  he 
said,  "Go  up,  say  unto  Ahab,  'Prepare  thy  char- 
iot, and  get  thee  down,  that  the  rain  stoj)  thee 
not.'" 


320  BIBLE   STORIES 

And  it  came  to  pass  in  the  meanwhile,  that  the 
heaven  was  black  with  clouds  and  wind,  and  there 
was  a  great  rain.  And  Ahab  rode,  and  went  to 
Jezreel.  And  the  hand  of  the  Lord  was  on  Elijah; 
and  he  girded  up  his  loins,  and  ran  before  Ahab  to 
the  entrance  of  Jezreel. 

1  Kings,  18 

A  STILL  SMALL  VOICE 

And  Ahab  told  Jezebel  all  that  Elijah  had  done, 
and  withal  how  he  had  slain  all  the  prophets  with 
the  sword.  Then  Jeze})el  sent  a  messenger  unto 
Elijah,  saying,  "So  let  the  gods  do  to  me,  and 
more  also,  if  I  make  not  thy  life  as  the  life  of  one 
of  them  by  to  morrow  about  this  time."  And 
when  he  saw  that,  he  arose,  and  went  for  his 
life,  and  came  to  Beer-sheba,  which  belongeth  to 
Judah,  and  left  his  servant  there. 

But  he  himself  went  a  day's  journey  into  the 
wilderness,  and  came  and  sat  down  under  a  juni- 
per tree:  and  he  requested  for  himself  that  he 
might  die;  and  said,  "  It  is  enough;  now,  O  Lord, 
take  away  my  life;  for  I  am  not  better  than  my 
fathers." 

And  as  he  lay  and  slept  undcT  a  juniper  tree, 
behold,  then  an  angel  touched  liiiii,  and  said  unto 
him,  "Arise  and  eat."  And  he  looked,  and,  be- 
hold, there  was  a  cake  baken  on  the  coals,  and  a 


A   STILL  SMALL  VOICE  321 

cruse  of  water  at  his  head.  And  he  did  eat  and 
drink,  and  laid  him  down  again. 

And  the  angel  of  the  Lord  came  again  the  sec- 
ond time,  and  touched  him,  and  said,  "Arise  and 
eat;  because  the  journey  is  too  great  for  thee." 
And  he  arose,  and  did  eat  and  drink,  and  went  in 
the  strength  of  that  meat  forty  days  and  forty 
nights  unto  Horeb  the  mount  of  God. 

And  he  came  thither  unto  a  cave,  and  lodged 
there;  and,  behold,  the  word  of  the  Lord  came  to 
him,  and  he  said  unto  him,  "What  doest  thou 
here,  Elijah.'* " 

And  he  said,  "  I  have  been  very  jealous  for  the 
Lord  God  of  hosts.  For  the  children  of  Israel  have 
forsaken  thy  covenant,  thrown  down  thine  altars, 
and  slain  thy  prophets  with  the  sword;  and  I,  even 
I  only,  am  left;  and  they  seek  my  life,  to  take  it 
away." 

And  he  said,  "Go  forth,  and  stand  upon  the 
mount  before  the  Lord." 

And,  behold,  the  Lord  passed  by,  and  a  great 
and  strong  wind  rent  the  mountains,  and  brake 
in  pieces  the  rocks  before  the  Lord ;  but  the  Lord 
was  not  in  the  wind :  and  after  the  wind  an  earth- 
quake; but  the  Lord  was  not  in  the  earthcjuake: 
and  after  the  earthquake  a  fire;  but  the  Lord  was 
not  in  the  fire:  and  after  the  fire  a  still  small  voice. 

And  it  was  so,  when  Elijah  heard  it,  that  he 
wrapped  his  face  in  his  nuuitle,  and  went  out,  and 


S22  BIBLE  STORIES 

stood  in  the  entering  in  of  the  cave.  And,  behold, 
there  came  a  voice  unto  him,  and  said,  "  What 
doest  thou  here,  EHjah?  " 

And  he  said,  "  I  have  been  very  jealous  for  the 
Lord  God  of  hosts:  because  the  children  of  Israel 
have  forsaken  thy  covenant,  thrown  down  thine 
altars,  and  slain  thy  prophets  with  the  sword;  and 
I,  even  I  only,  am  left;  and  they  seek  my  life,  to 
take  it  away." 

And  the  Lord  said  unto  him,  "  Go,  return  on  thy 
way  to  the  wilderness  of  Damascus:  and  when 
thou  comest,  anoint  Hazael  to  be  king  over  Syria. 
And  Jehu  the  son  of  Nmishi  shalt  thou  anoint  to 
be  king  over  Israel.  And  Elisha  the  son  of  Sha- 
phat  of  Abel-meholah  shalt  thou  anoint  to  be 
prophet  in  thy  room.  And  it  shall  come  to  pass, 
that  him  that  escapeth  the  sword  of  Hazael  shall 
Jehu  slay :  and  him  that  escapeth  from  the  sword 
of  Jehu  shall  Elisha  slay.  Yet  I  have  left  me  seven 
thousand  in  Israel,  all  the  knees  which  have  not 
bowed  unto  Baal,  and  every  mouth  which  hath 
not  kissed  him." 

So  he  departed  thence,  and  found  Elisha  the  son 
of  Shaphat,  who  was  plowing  with  twelve  yoke  of 
oxen  before  him,  and  he  with  the  twelftli.  And 
Elijah  passed  by  him,  and  cast  his  mantle  upon 
him.  And  he  left  the  oxen,  and  ran  after  Elijah, 
and  said,  "  Let  me,  I  pray  thee,  kiss  my  father  and 
my  mother,  and   then  I  will  follow  thee."    And 


NABOTH'S   VINEYARD  323 

he  said  unto  him,  "Go  back  again:  for  what  have 
I  done  to  thee?" 

And  he  returned  back  from  him,  and  took  a 
yoke  of  oxen,  and  slew  them,  and  boiled  their  flesh 
with  the  instruments  of  the  oxen,  and  gave  unto 
the  people,  and  they  did  eat.  Then  he  arose,  and 
went  after  Elijah,  and  ministered  unto  him. 

1  Kings,  19 

Read  "  How  Ahah  the  Wicked  Made  a  Covenant  with  IsraeVs 
Enemy,"  1  Kings,  chap.  '20 

NABOTH'S  VINEYARD 

And  it  came  to  pass  after  these  things,  that 
Naboth  the  Jezreelite  had  a  vineyard,  which  was 
in  Jezreel,  hard  by  the  palace  of  Ahab  king  of 
Samaria. 

And  Ahab  spake  unto  Naboth,  saying,  "Give 
me  thy  vineyard,  that  I  may  have  it  for  a  garden 
of  herbs,  because  it  is  near  unto  my  house:  and  I 
will  give  thee  for  it  a  better  vineyard  than  it;  or, 
if  it  seem  good  to  thee,  I  will  give  thee  the  worth 
of  it  in  money."  And  Naboth  said  to  Ahab,  "The 
Lord  forbid  it  me,  that  I  should  give  the  inherit- 
ance of  my  fathers  unto  thee." 

And  Ahab  came  into  his  house  heavy  and  dis- 
pleased because  of  the  word  which  Naboth  the 
Jezreelite  had  spoken  to  him:  for  he  had  said,  "I 
W'ill  not  give  thee  the  inheritance  of  my  fathers." 


324  BIBLE   STORIES 

And  he  laid  him  down  upon  his  bed,  and  turned 
away  his  face,  and  would  eat  no  bread. 

But  Jezebel  his  wife  came  to  him,  and  said  unto 
him,  "Why  is  thy  spirit  so  sad,  that  thou  eatest 
no  bread?" 

And  he  said  unto  her,  "Because  I  spake  unto 
Naboth  the  Jezreelite,  and  said  unto  him,  'Give 
me  thy  vineyard  for  money;  or  else,  if  it  please 
thee,  I  will  give  thee  another  vineyard  for  it : '  and 
he  answered,  'I  will  not  give  thee  my  vineyard.'" 

And  Jezebel  his  wife  said  unto  him,  "Dost  thou 
now  govern  the  kingdom  of  Israel.'^  Arise,  and 
eat  bread,  and  let  thine  heart  be  merry.  I  will 
give  thee  the  vineyard  of  Naboth  the  Jezreelite." 

So  she  wrote  letters  in  Ahab's  name,  and  sealed 
them  with  his  seal,  and  sent  the  letters  unto  the 
elders  and  to  the  nobles  that  were  in  his  city, 
dwelling  with  Naboth.  And  she  wrote  in  the  let- 
ters, saying,  "Proclaim  a  fast,  and  set  Naboth  on 
high  among  the  people.  And  set  two  men,  sons  of 
Belial  (that  is,  base  fellows),  before  him,  to  bear 
witness  against  him,  saying,  'Thou  didst  blas- 
pheme God  and  the  king.'  And  then  carry  him 
out,  and  stone  hun,  that  he  may  die." 

And  the  men  of  his  city,  even  the  elders  and  the 
nobles  who  were  the  inhabitants  in  his  city,  did  as 
Jezel)el  had  sent  unto  them,  and  as  it  was  written 
in  the  letters  which  she  had  sent  unto  them.  They 
proclaimed  a  fast,  and  set  Naboth  on  high  among 


NABOTH'S  VINEYARD  325 

the  people.  And  lliere  came  in  two  men,  cliildren 
of  Belial,  and  sat  before  him:  and  the  men  of  Be- 
lial witnessed  against  him,  even  against  Naboth, 
in  the  presence  of  the  people,  saying,  "Naboth 
did  blaspheme  God  and  the  king."  Then  they 
carried  him  forth  out  of  the  city,  and  stoned  him 
with  stones,  that  he  died. 

Then  they  sent  to  Jezebel,  saying,  "Naboth  is 
stoned,  and  is  dead." 

And  it  came  to  pass,  when  Jezebel  heard  that 
Naboth  was  stoned,  and  was  dead,  that  Jezebel 
said  to  Ahab,  "Arise,  take  possession  of  the  vine- 
yard of  Naboth  the  Jezreelite,  which  he  refused 
to  give  thee  for  money:  for  Naboth  is  not  alive, 
but  dead." 

And  it  came  to  pass,  when  Ahab  heard  that 
Naboth  was  dead,  that  Ahab  rose  up  to  go  down 
to  the  vineyard  of  Naboth  the  Jezreelite,  to  take 
possession  of  it. 

And  the  word  of  the  Lord  came  to  Elijah  the 
Tishbite,  saying,  "Arise,  go  down  to  meet  Ahab 
king  of  Israel,  which  is  in  Samaria:  behold,  he  is 
in  the  vineyard  of  Naboth,  whither  he  is  gone 
down  to  possess  it.  And  thou  shalt  speak  unto  him, 
saying,  '  Thus  saitli  the  Lord,  "  Hast  thou  killed, 
and  also  taken  possession?"'  And  thou  shalt 
speak  unto  him,  saying,  '  Thus  saith  the  Lord, 
"  In  the  place  where  dogs  licked  the  blood  of  Na- 
both shall  dogs  lick  thy  blood,  even  thine."  '" 


326  BIBLE   STORIES 

And  Ahab  said  to  Elijah,  "Hast  thou  found  me, 
O  mine  enemy?" 

And  he  answered,  "I  have  found  thee:  because 
thou  hast  sold  thyself  to  work  evil  in  the  sight  of 
the  Lord.  Behold,  I  will  bring  evil  upon  thee,  and 
will  take  away  thy  posterity.  And  will  make 
thine  house  like  the  house  of  Jeroboam  the  son  of 
Nebat,  and  like  the  house  of  Baasha  the  son  of 
Ahijah,  for  the  provocation  wherewith  thou  hast 
provoked  me  to  anger,  and  made  Israel  to  sin. 
And  of  Jezebel  also  spake  the  Lord,  saying,  'The 
dogs  shall  eat  Jezebel  by  the  wall  of  Jezreel.  Him 
that  dieth  of  Ahab  in  the  city  the  dogs  shall  eat; 
and  him  that  dieth  in  the  field  shall  the  fowls  of 
the  air  eat.'" 

But  there  was  none  like  unto  Ahab,  which  did 
sell  himself  to  work  wickedness  in  the  sight  of  the 
Lord,  whom  Jezebel  his  wife  stirred  up.  And  he 
did  very  abominably  in  following  idols,  according 
to  all  things  as  did  the  Amorites,  whom  the  Lord 
cast  out  before  the  children  of  Israel. 

And  it  came  to  pass,  when  Ahab  heard  those 
words,  that  he  rent  his  clothes,  and  put  sackcloth 
upon  his  flesh,  and  fasted,  and  lay  in  sackcloth, 
and  went  softly. 

And  the  word  of  the  Lord  came  to  Elijah  the 
Tishbite,  saying,  "Seest  thou  how  Ahab  hum- 
bleth  himself  before  me?  Because  he  humbleth 
himself  before  me,  I  will  not  bring  the  evil  in  his 


THE   CHARIOT  OF  FIRE  327 

days:  but  in  his  son's  days  will  I  bring  the  evil 
upon  his  house." 

1  Kings,  21 

Read  also  the  stories  of  "  The  Horns  of  Iron  and  the  False 
Prophet,"  1  Kings,  chap.  22;  "  The  Fire  From  Heaven,"  2 
Kings,  chap.  1 


THE  CHARIOT  OF  FIRE 

And  it  came  to  pass,  when  the  Lord  would  take 
up  Elijah  into  heaven  by  a  whirlwind,  that  Elijah 
went  with  Elisha  from  Gilgal. 

And  Elijah  said  unto  Elisha, "  Tarry  here,  I  pray 
thee;  for  the  Lord  hath  sent  me  to  Beth-el."  And 
Elisha  said  unto  him,  "As  the  Lord  liveth,  and 
as  thy  soul  liveth,  I  will  not  leave  thee."  So 
they  went  down  to  Beth-el.  And  the  sons  of  the 
prophets  that  were  at  Beth-el  came  forth  to  Elisha, 
and  said  unto  him,  "Knowest  thou  that  the  Lord 
will  take  away  thy  master  from  thy  head  to 
day?"  And  he  said,  "Yea,  I  know  it;  hold  ye 
your  peace." 

And  Elijah  said  unto  him,  "Elisha,  tarry  here, 
I  pray  thee;  for  the  Lord  hath  sent  me  to  Jericho." 
And  Jie  said,  "As  the  Lord  liveth,  and  as  thy  soul 
liveth,  I  will  not  leave  thee."  So  they  came  to 
Jericho.  And  the  sons  of  the  prophets  that  were 
at  Jericho  came  to  Elisha,  and  said  unto  him, 
"  Knowest  thou  that  the  Lord  will  take  away  thy 


328  BIBLE  STORIES 

master  from  thy  head  to  day?  "  And  he  answered, 
*'  Yea,  I  know  it;  hold  ye  your  peace." 

And  EUjah  said  unto  him,  "Tarry,  I  pray  thee, 
here;  for  the  Lord  hath  sent  me  to  Jordan."  And 
he  said,  "  As  the  Lord  Hveth,  and  as  thy  soul 
liveth,  I  will  not  leave  thee."  And  they  two  went 
on. 

And  fifty  men  of  the  sons  of  the  prophets  went, 
and  stood  to  view  afar  off :  and  they  two  stood  by 
Jordan.  And  Elijah  took  his  mantle,  and  wrapped 
it  together,  and  smote  the  waters,  and  they  were 
divided  hither  and  thither,  so  that  they  two  went 
over  on  dry  ground. 

And  it  came  to  pass,  when  they  were  gone  over, 
that  Elijah  said  unto  Elisha,  "x\sk  what  I  shall 
do  for  thee,  before  I  be  taken  away  from  thee." 
And  Elisha  said,  "I  pray  thee,  let  a  double  por- 
tion of  thy  spirit  be  upon  me."  And  he  said, 
"Thou  hast  asked  a  hard  thing:  nevertheless,  if 
thou  see  me  when  I  am  taken  from  thee,  it  shall 
be  so  unto  thee;  but  if  not,  it  shall  not  be 
so." 

And  it  came  to  pass,  as  they  still  went  on,  and 
talked,  that,  behold,  there  appeared  a  chariot  of 
fire,  and  horses  of  fire,  and  parted  them  both 
asunder;  and  Elijah  went  up  by  a  whirlwind  into 
heaven.  And  Elisha  saw  it,  and  he  cried,  "]My 
father,  my  father,  the  chariot  of  Israel,  and  the 
horsemen  thereof!"    And  he  saw  him  no  more: 


THE   CHARIOT  OF  FIRE  329 

and  he  took  hold  of  his  own  clothes,  and  rent 
them  in  two  pieces. 

He  took  up  also  the  mantle  of  Elijah  that  fell 
from  him,  and  went  back,  and  stood  by  the 
bank  of  Jordan.  And  he  took  the  mantle  of  Eli- 
jah that  fell  from  him,  and  smote  the  waters,  and 
said,  "Where  is  the  Lord  God  of  Elijah?"  and 
when  he  also  had  smitten  the  waters,  they  parted 
hither  antl  thither:  and  Elisha  went  over. 

And  when  the  sons  of  the  prophets  which 
were  to  view  at  Jericho  saw  him,  they  said,  "  The 
spirit  of  Elijah  doth  rest  on  Elisha."  And  they 
came  to  meet  him,  and  bowed  themselves  to  the 
ground  before  him. 

And  they  said  unto  him,  "  Behold  now,  there 
be  with  thy  servants  fifty  strong  men;  let  them 
go,  we  pray  thee,  and  seek  thy  master:  lest  per- 
adventure  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord  hath  taken  him 
up,  and  cast  him  upon  some  mountain,  or  into 
some  valley."  And  he  said,  "Ye  shall  not  send." 
And  when  they  urged  him  till  he  was  ashamed, 
he  said,  "Send."  They  sent  therefore  fifty  men; 
and  they  sought  three  days,  but  found  him  not. 
And  when  they  came  again  to  him,  (for  he  tarried 
at  Jericho,)  he  said  unto  them,  "  Did  I  not  say 
unto  you,  '  Go  not?  ' " 

2  Kings,  2 


330  BIBLE  STORIES 

THE  WICKED   LADS 

And  the  men  of  the  city  said  unto  Elisha, 
"Behold,  I  pray  thee,  the  situation  of  this  city 
is  pleasant,  as  my  lord  seeth:  but  the  water  is 
naught,  and  the  ground  barren." 

And  he  said,  "  Bring  me  a  new  cruse,  and  put 
salt  therein."  And  they  brought  it  to  him.  And 
he  went  forth  unto  the  spring  of  the  waters,  and 
cast  the  salt  in  there,  and  said,  "Thus  saith  the 
Lord,  'I  have  healed  these  waters;  there  shall 
not  be  from  thence  any  more  death  or  barren 
land.' "  So  the  waters  were  healed  unto  this 
day,  according  to  the  saying  of  Elisha  which  he 
spake. 

And  he  went  up  from  thence  unto  Bcth-el.  And 
as  he  was  going  up  by  the  way,  there  came  forth 
young  lads  out  of  the  city,  and  mocked  him,  and 
said  unto  him,  "Go  up,  thou  bald  head!  Go  up, 
thou  bald  head!" 

And  he  turned  back,  and  looked  on  them,  and 
cursed  them  in  the  name  of  the  Lord.  And  there 
came  forth  two  she  bears  out  of  the  wood,  and 
tare  forty  and  two  lads  of  them. 

And  he  went  from  thc^nce  to  mount  Carmel, 
and  from  thence  he  returned  to  Samaria. 

Kings,  2 

Read  also  the  stories  "Moab  to  the  Spoil !"  ^  Kings,  chap.  3; 
"  Elisha  and  the  Little  Child,''  2  Kintjs,  chap.  4 


DEATH   IN  THE   POT  331 

DEATH  IN  THE  POT 

And  Elisha  came  again  to  Gilgal.  And  there 
was  a  dearth  in  the  land;  and  the  sons  of  the 
prophets  were  sitting  before  him.  And  he  said 
unto  his  servant,  "Set  on  the  great  pot,  and 
seethe  pottage  for  the  sons  of  the  prophets." 

And  one  went  out  into  the  field  to  gather  herbs, 
and  found  a  wild  vine,  and  gathered  thereof  wild 
gourds  his  lap  full,  and  came  and  shred  them  into 
the  pot  of  pottage:  for  they  knew  them  not. 

So  they  poured  out  for  the  men  to  eat.  And  it 
came  to  pass,  as  they  were  eating  of  the  pottage, 
that  they  cried  out,  and  said,  "O  thou  man  of 
God,  there  is  death  in  the  pot."  And  they  could 
not  eat  thereof. 

But  he  said,  "Then  bring  meal."  And  he  cast 
it  into  the  pot;  and  he  said,  "Pour  out  for  the 
people,  that  they  may  eat."  And  there  was  no 
harm  in  the  pot. 

And  there  came  a  man  from  Baal-shalisha,  and 
brought  the  man  of  God  bread  of  the  firstfruits, 
twenty  loaves  of  barley,  and  full  ears  of  corn  in 
the  husk  thereof.  And  he  said,  "Give  unto  the 
people,  that  they  may  eat."  And  his  servitor  said, 
"What,  should  I  set  this  before  an  hundred  men.-*  " 
He  said  again,  "Give  the  people,  that  they  may 
eat:  for  thus  saith  the  Lord,  'They  shall  eat,  and 
shall  leave  thereof.'"  So  he  set  it  before  them, 


332  BIBLE   STORIES 

and  they  did  eat,  and  left  thereof*  according  to 
the  word  of  the  Lord. 

2  Kings,  4 

NAAMAN  THE  LEPER  AND  THE 
LITTLE  MAID   OF  ISRAEL 

Now  Naaman,  captain  of  the  host  of  the  king 
of  Syria,  was  a  great  man  with  his  master,  and 
honourable,  because  by  him  the  Lord  had  given 
deliverance  unto  Syria.  He  was  also  a  mighty 
man  in  valour,  but  he  was  a  leper. 

And  the  Syrians  had  gone  out  by  companies, 
and  had  brought  away  captive  out  of  the  land  of 
Israel  a  little  maid;  and  she  waited  on  Naaman's 
wife.  And  she  said  unto  her  mistress,  "Would 
God  my  lord  were  with  the  prophet  that  is  in 
Samaria!  for  he  would  recover  him  of  his  leprosy.'* 

And  one  went  in,  and  told  his  lord,  saying, 
"Thus  and  thus  said  the  maid  that  is  of  the  land 
of  Israel."  And  the  king  of  Syria  said,  "Go  to, 
go,  and  I  will  send  a  letter  unto  the  king  of  Israel." 
And  he  departed,  and  took  witli  him  ten  talents 
of  silver,  and  six  thousand  pieces  of  gold,  and  ten 
changes  of  raiment. 

And  he  brought  the  letter  to  the  king  of  Israel, 
saying,  "Now  when  this  letter  is  come  unto  thee, 
behold,  I  have  therewith  sent  Naaman  my  ser- 
vant to  thee,  that  thou  mayest  recover  him  of 


NAAMAN   THE  LEPER  333 

his  leprosy."  And  it  came  to  pass,  when  the  king 
of  Israel  had  read  the  letter,  that  he  rent  his 
clothes,  and  said,  "Am  I  God,  to  kill  and  to  make 
alive,  that  this  man  doth  send  unto  me  to  recover 
a  man  of  his  leprosy?  wherefore  consider,  I  pray 
you,  and  see  how  he  seeketh  a  quarrel  against 
me." 

And  it  was  so,  when  Elisha  the  man  of  God  had 
heard  that  the  king  of  Israel  had  rent  his  clothes, 
that  he  sent  to  the  king,  saying,  "Wherefore  hast 
thou  rent  thy  clothes .^^  let  him  come  now  to  me, 
and  he  shall  know  that  there  is  a  prophet  in 
Israel." 

So  Naaman  came  with  his  horses  and  with  his 
chariot,  and  stood  at  the  door  of  the  house  of 
Elisha.  And  Elisha  sent  a  messenger  unto  him, 
saying,  "Go  and  wash  in  Jordan  seven  times,  and 
thy  flesh  shall  come  again  to  thee,  and  thou  shalt 
be  clean." 

But  Naaman  was  wroth,  and  went  away,  and 
said,  "Behold,  I  thought,  'He  will  surely  come  out 
to  me,  and  stand,  and  call  on  the  name  of  the 
Lord  his  God,  and  strike  his  hand  over  the  place, 
and  recover  the  leper.'  Are  not  Abana  and  Phar- 
par,  rivers  of  Damascus,  better  than  all  the 
waters  of  Israel  .^^  niay  I  not  wash  in  them,  and  be 
clean.'* "   So  he  turned  and  went  away  in  a  rage. 

And  his  servants  came  near,  and  spake  unto 
him,  and  said,  "  My  father,  if  the  prophet  had 


334  BIBLE  STORIES 

bid  thee  do  some  great  thing,  woiildest  thou  not 
have  done  it?  how  much  rather  then,  when  he 
saith  to  thee,  'Wash,  and  be  clean?'" 

Then  went  he  down,  and  dipped  himself  seven 
times  in  Jordan,  according  to  the  saying  of  the 
man  of  God.  And  his  flesh  came  again  like  unto 
the  flesh  of  a  little  child,  and  he  was  clean. 

And  he  returned  to  the  man  of  God,  he  and  all 
his  company,  and  came,  and  stood  before  him: 
and  he  said,  "Behold,  now  I  know  that  there  is 
no  God  in  all  the  earth,  but  in  Israel.  Now  there- 
fore, I  pray  thee,  take  a  blessing  of  thy  servant." 

But  he  said,  "As  the  Lord  liveth,  before  whom 
I  stand,  I  will  receive  none."  And  he  urged  him 
to  take  it;  but  he  refused. 

And  Naaman  said,  "Shall  there  not  then,  I 
pray  thee,  be  given  to  thy  servant  two  mules' 
burden  of  earth?  for  thy  servant  will  henceforth 
offer  neither  burnt  offering  nor  sacrifice  unto 
other  gods,  but  unto  the  Lord.  In  this  thing  the 
Lord  pardon  thy  servant,  that  when  my  master 
goetli  into  the  house  of  Rimmon  to  worship  there, 
and  he  leaneth  on  my  hand,  and  I  bow  myself  in 
the  house  of  Rimmon:  when  I  bow  down  myself 
in  the  house  of  Rimmon,  the  Lord  pardon  thy 
servant  in  this  thing." 

And  he  said  unto  him,  "Go  in  peace."  So  he 
departed  from  him  a  little  way. 

2  Kings,  5 


THE  PUNISHMENT  OF  GEHAZI    335 

THE   PUNISHMENT  OF   GEHAZI 

But  Gehazi,  the  servant  of  Elisha  the  man  of 
God,  said,  "Behold,  my  master  hath  spared 
Naaman  this  Syrian,  in  not  receiving  at  his  hands 
that  which  he  brought:  but,  as  the  Lord  liveth, 
I  will  run  after  him,  and  take  somewhat  of 
him." 

So  Gehazi  followed  after  Naaman.  And  when 
Naaman  saw  him  running  after  him,  he  lighted 
down  from  the  chariot  to  meet  him,  and  said,  "Is 
all  well.?" 

And  he  said,  "All  is  well.  My  master  hath  sent 
me,  saying, '  Behold,  even  now  there  be  come  to  me 
from  mount  Ephraim  two  young  men  of  the  sons 
of  the  prophets.  Give  them,  I  pray  thee,  a  talent 
of  silver,  and  two  changes  of  garments.'" 

And  Naaman  said,  "Be  content,  take  two 
talents."  And  he  urged  him,  and  bound  two 
talents  of  silver  in  two  bags,  with  two  changes  of 
garments,  and  laid  them  upon  two  of  his  servants; 
and  they  bare  them  before  him.  And  when  he 
came  to  the  tower,  he  took  them  from  their  hand, 
and  bestowed  them  in  the  house:  and  he  let  the 
men  go,  and  they  departed. 

But  he  went  in,  and  stood  before  his  master. 
And  Elisha  said  unto  him,  "Whence  comest  thou, 
Gehazi?"  And  he  said,  "Thy  servant  went  no 
whither." 


336  BIBLE   STORIES 

And  he  said  unto  him,  "Went  not  mine  heart 
with  thee,  when  the  man  turned  again  from  his 
chariot  to  meet  thee?  Is  it  a  time  to  receive  money, 
and  to  receive  garments,  and  oHveyards,  and  vine- 
yards, and  sheep,  and  oxen,  and  menservants,  and 
maidservants?  The  leprosy  therefore  of  Naaman 
shall  cleave  unto  thee,  and  unto  thy  seed  for 
ever. 

And  he  w^ent  out  from  his  presence  a  leper  as 
white  as  snow. 

2  Kings,  5 

Another  interesting  story,  is  "  The  Siege  of  Samaria," 
2  Kings,  chaps.  6  and  7 

THE  DRIVING  OF  JEHU  THE  SON  OF 
NIMSHI 

And  Elisha  the  prophet  called  one  of  the  chil- 
dren of  the  prophets,  and  said  unto  him,  "Gird  up 
thy  loins,  and  take  this  box  of  oil  in  thine  hand, 
and  go  to  Ramoth-gilead.  And  when  thou  com- 
est  tliither,  look  out  there  Jehu  the  son  of  Je- 
hoshaphat  the  son  of  Nimshi,  and  go  in,  and  make 
him  arise  up  from  among  his  brethren,  and  carry 
him  to  an  inner  chamber.  Then  take  the  box  of 
oil,  and  pour  it  on  his  head,  and  say,  'Thus  saith 
the  Lord,  "  I  have  anointed  thee  king  over  Is- 
rael." '  Then  open  the  door,  and  flee,  and  tarry 
not." 


THE   DRIVING  OF  JEHU  337 

So  the  young  man,  even  the  young  man  the 
prophet,  went  to  Ramoth-gilead.  And  when  he 
came,  behold,  the  captains  of  the  host  were  sitting; 
and  he  said,  "  I  have  an  errand  to  thee,  O  captain." 
And  Jehu  said,  "Unto  which  of  all  us?"  And  he 
said,  "To  thee,  O  captain." 

And  he  arose,  and  went  into  the  house.  And  he 
poured  the  oil  on  his  head,  and  said  unto  him, 
"Thus  saith  the  Lord  God  of  Israel,  '  I  have 
anointed  thee  king  over  the  people  of  the  Lord, 
even  over  Israel.  And  thou  shalt  smite  the  house 
of  Ahab  thy  master,  that  I  may  avenge  the  blood 
of  my  servants  the  prophets,  and  the  blood  of  all 
the  servants  of  the  Lord,  at  the  hand  of  Jezebel. 
For  the  whole  house  of  Ahab  shall  perish.  And  I 
will  make  the  house  of  Ahab  like  the  house  of 
Jeroboam  the  son  of  Nebat,  and  like  the  house 
of  Baasha  the  son  of  Ahijah.  And  the  dogs  shall 
eat  Jezebel  in  the  portion  of  Jezreel,  and  there 
shall  be  none  to  bury  her.' "  And  he  opened  the 
door,  and  fled. 

Then  Jehu  came  forth  to  the  servants  of  his 
lord.  And  one  said  unto  him,  "Is  all  well.^  where- 
fore came  this  mad  fellow  to  thee.'*"  And  he  said 
unto  them,  "Ye  know  the  man,  and  his  com- 
munication." And  they  said,  "It  is  false;  tell  us 
now."  And  he  said,  "Thus  and  thus  spake  he  to 
me,  saying, '  Thus  saith  the  Lord, "  I  have  anointed 
thee  king  over  Israel."  '" 


338  BIBLE  STORIES 

Then  they  hasted,  and  took  every  man  his 
garment,  and.  put  it  under  him  on  the  top  of  the 
stairs,  and  blew  with  trumpets,  saying,  "Jehu  is 
king." 

So  Jehu  the  son  of  Jeshoshaphat  the  son  of 
Nimshi  conspired  against  Joram.  (Now  Joram 
had  kept  Ramoth-gilead,  he  and  all  Israel,  be- 
cause of  Hazael  king  of  Syria.  But  king  Joram 
was  returned  to  be  healed  in  Jezreel  of  the  wounds 
which  the  Syrians  had  given  him,  when  he  fought 
with  Hazael  king  of  Syria.) 

And  Jehu  said,  "If  it  be  your  minds,  then  let 
none  go  forth  nor  escape  out  of  the  city  to  go 
to  tell  it  in  Jezreel."  So  Jehu  rode  in  a  chariot, 
and  went  to  Jezreel;  for  Joram  lay  there.  And 
Ahaziah  king  of  Judah  was  come  down  to  see 
Joram.  ^ 

And  there  stood  a  watchman  on  the  tower  in 
Jezreel,  and  he  spied  the  company  of  Jehu  as  he 
came,  and  said,  "I  see  a  company."  And  Joram 
said,  "  Take  an  horseman,  and  send  to  meet  them, 
and  let  him  say,  'Is  it  peace.^'" 

So  there  went  one  on  horseback  to  meet  him, 
and  said,  "Thus  saith  the  king,  'Is  it  peace.'^'" 
And  Jehu  said,  "What  hast  thou  to  do  with  peace? 
turn  thee  behind  me."  And  the  watchman  told, 
saying,  "The  messenger  came  to  them,  but  he 
Cometh  not  again." 

^  See  pages  354-55. 


THE   DRIVING   OF  JEHU  339 

Then  he  sent  out  a  second  on  horseback, 
which  came  to  them,  and  said,  "Thus  saith  the 
king,  'Is  it  peace?'"  And  Jehu  answered,  "What 
hast  thou  to  do  with  peace?  turn  thee  behind 
me. 

And  the  watchman  told,  saying,  "He  came  even 
unto  them,  and  cometh  not  again.  And  the  driv- 
ing is  Hke  the  driving  of  Jehu  the  son  of  Nimshi; 
for  he  driveth  furiously." 

And  Joram  said,  "Make  ready."  And  his  chariot 
was  made  ready.  And  Joram  king  of  Israel  and 
Ahaziah  king  of  Judah  went  out,  each  in  his  char- 
iot, and  they  went  out  against  Jehu,  and  met  him 
in  the  portion  of  Naboth  the  Jezreelite. 

And  it  came  to  pass,  when  Joram  saw  Jehu, 
that  he  said,  "Is  it  peace,  Jehu?" 

And  he  answered,  "What  peace,  so  long  as  the 
idolatrous  doings  of  thy  mother  Jezebel  and  her 
witchcrafts  are  so  many?" 

And  Joram  turned  his  hands,  and  fled,  and  said 
to  Ahaziah,  "There  is  treachery,  O  Ahaziah." 

And  Jehu  drew  a  bow  with  his  full  strength,  and 
smote  Joram  between  his  arms,  and  the  arrow 
went  out  at  his  heart,  and  he  sunk  down  in  his 
chariot. 

Then  said  Jehu  to  Bidkar  his  captain,  "Take 
i\p,  and  cast  him  in  the  portion  of  the  field 
of  Xal)()tli  \hv  J(v,re('lite.  For  remember  how 
that,  when  I  and  thou  rode  together  after  Ahab 


340  BIBLE   STORIES 

his  father,  the  Lord  laid  this  burden  upon  him; 
'  Surely  I  have  seen  yesterday  the  blood  of  Naboth, 
and  the  blood  of  his  sons,'  saitli  the  Lord;  'and 
I  will  requite  thee  in  this  plat,'  saith  the  Lord. 
Now  therefore  take  and  cast  him  into  the  plat  of 
ground,  according  to  the  word  of  the  Lord." 

And  when  Jehu  was  come  to  Jezreel,  Jezebel 
heard  of  it;  and  she  painted  her  face,  and  tired 
her  head,  and  looked  out  at  a  window.  And  as 
Jehu  entered  in  at  the  gate,  she  said,  "Had  Zimri 
peace,  who  slew  his  master.'^" 

And  he  lifted  up  his  face  to  the  window,  and 
said,  "Who  is  on  my  side.^  who.'*"  And  there 
looked  out  to  him  two  or  three  eimuchs.  And  he 
said,  "Throw  her  down."  So  they  threw  her 
down :  and  some  of  her  blood  was  sprinkled  on  the 
wall,  and  on  the  horses.  And  he  trode  her  under 
foot. 

And  when  he  was  come  in,  he  did  eat  and  drink, 
and  said,  "Go,  see  now  this  cursed  woman,  and 
bury  her;  for  she  is  a  king's  daughter." 

And  they  went  to  bury  her;  but  they  found  no 
more  of  her  than  the  skull,  and  the  feet,  and  the 
palms  of  her  hands.  Wherefore  they  came  again, 
and  told  him.  And  he  said,  "This  is  the  word  of 
the  Lord,  which  he  spake  by  his  servant  Elijah 
the  Tishbite,  saying,  'In  the  portion  of  Jezreel 
shall  dogs  eat  the  flesh  of  Jezebel.  And  the  carcase 
of  Jezebel  shall  be  as  dung  upon  the  face  of  the 


GOD  PREPARED  A  GREAT   FISH    341 

field  in  the  portion  of  Jezreel;  so  that  they  shall 
not  say,  "  This  is  Jezebel." '" 

2  Kings,  9 

Other  interesting  stories  are,  "Akab's  Seventy  Sons,"  2  Kings, 
chap.  10;  "  The  Story  of  the  Bow  and  Arrows,"  2  Kings,  chap, 
13,  verses,  14-21 


AND  GOD  PREPARED  A  GREAT 
FISH 

Now  the  word  of  the  Lord  came  unto  Jonah 
the  son  of  Amittai,  saying,  "  Arise,  go  to  Nineveh, 
that  great  city,  and  cry  against  it;  for  their  wick- 
edness is  come  up  before  me." 

But  Jonah  rose  up  to  flee  unto  Tarshish  from 
the  presence  of  the  Lord,  and  went  down  to 
Joppa;  and  he  found  a  ship  going  to  Tarshish.  So 
he  paid  the  fare  thereof,  and  went  down  into  it, 
to  go  with  them  unto  Tarshish  from  the  presence 
of  the  Lord. 

But  the  Lord  sent  out  a  great  wind  into  the 
sea,  and  there  was  a  mighty  tempest  in  the  sea, 
so  that  the  ship  was  like  to  be  broken.  Then  the 
mariners  were  afraid,  and  cried  every  man  unto 
his  god,  and  cast  forth  the  wares  that  were  in  the 
ship  into  the  sea,  to  lighten  it  of  them. 

But  Jonah  was  gone  down  into  the  sides  of  the 
ship;  and  he  lay,  and  was  fast  asleep.  So  the  shij)- 
master  came  to  him,  and  said  unto  him,  "What 


342  BIBLE   STORIES 

meanest  thou,  O  sleeper?  arise,  call  upon  thy 
God,  if  so  be  that  God  will  think  upon  us,  that 
we  perish  not." 

And  they  said  every  one  to  his  fellow,  "Come, 
and  let  us  cast  lots,  that  we  may  know  for  whose 
cause  this  evil  is  upon  us."  So  they  cast  lots,  and 
the  lot  fell  upon  Jonah.  Then  said  they  unto  him, 
"Tell  us,  we  pray  thee,  for  whose  cause  this  evil 
is  upon  us.  What  is  thine  occupation.'^  and  whence 
comest  thou?  what  is  thy  country?  and  of  what 
people  art  thou?" 

And  he  said  unto  them,  "I  am  an  Hebrew;  and 
I  fear  the  Lord,  the  God  of  Heaven,  which  hath 
made  the  sea  and  the  dry  land." 

Then  were  the  men  exceedingly  afraid,  and 
said  unto  him,  "Why  hast  thou  done  this?"  For 
the  men  knew  that  he  fled  from  the  presence  of 
the  Lord,  because  he  had  told  them.  Then  said 
they  unto  him,  "What  shall  we  do  unto  thee, 
that  the  sea  may  be  calm  unto  us?"  for  the  sea 
wrought,  and  was  tempestuous. 

And  he  said  unto  them,  "Take  me  up,  and  cast 
me  forth  into  the  sea;  so  shall  the  sea  be  calm 
unto  you :  for  I  know  that  for  my  sake  this  great 
tempest  is  upon  you." 

Nevertheless  the  men  rowed  hard  to  bring  it  to 
the  land;  but  they  could  not:  for  the  sea  wrought, 
and  was  tempestuous  against  them.  Wherefore 
they  cried  unto  the  Lord,  and  said,  "We  beseech 


GOD  PREPARED  A  GREAT  FISH    343 

thee,  O  Lord,  we  beseech  thee,  let  us  not  perish 
for  this  man's  life,  and  lay  not  upon  us  innocent 
blood:  for  thou,  O  Lord,  hast  done  as  it  pleased 
thee."  So  they  took  up  Jonah,  and  cast  him 
forth  into  the  sea:  and  the  sea  ceased  from  her 
rat^jing.  Then  the  men  feared  the  Lord  exceed- 
ingly, and  offered  a  sacrifice  unto  the  Lord,  and 
made  vows. 

Now  the  Lord  had  prepared  a  great  fish  to 
swallow  up  Jonah.  And  Jonah  was  in  the  belly 
of  the  fish  three  days  and  three  nights.  Then 
Jonah  prayed  unto  the  Lord  his  God  out  of  the 
fish's  belly,  and  said:  — 

"I  cried  by  reason  of  mine  aflfliction  unto  the 
Lord,  and  he  heard  me;  out  of  the  belly  of  hell 
cried  I,  and  thou  heardest  my  voice. 

"For  thou  hadst  cast  me  into  the  deep,  in  the 
midst  of  the  seas;  and  the  floods  compassed  me 
about:  all  thy  billows  and  thy  waves  passed  over 
me. 

"Then  I  said,  '  I  am  cast  out  of  thy  sight;  yet 
I  will  look  again  toward  thy  holy  temple.' 

"The  waters  compassed  me  about,  even  to  the 
soul :  the  depth  closed  me  round  about,  the  weeds 
were  wrapped  about  my  head. 

"I  went  down  to  the  bottoms  of  the  mountains; 
the  earth  with  her  bars  was  about  me  for  ever: 
yet  hast  thou  brought  up  my  life  from  corruption, 
O  Lord  my  God. 


344  BIBLE   STORIES 

"When  my  soul  fainted  within  me  I  remem- 
bered the  Lord:  and  my  prayer  came  in  unto 
thee,  into  thine  holy  temple. 

"They  that  observe  lying  vanities  forsake  their 
own  mercy. 

"But  I  will  sacrifice  unto  thee  with  the  voice  of 
thanksgiving;  I  will  pay  that  that  I  have  vowed. 
Salvation  is  of  the  Lord." 

And  the  Lord  spake  unto  the  fish,  and  it 
vomited  out  Jonah  upon  the  dry  land. 

Jonah,  1,  2 

THE  DOOM  OF  NINEVEH 

And  the  word  of  the  Lord  came  unto  Jonah 
the  second  time,  saying,  "Arise,  go  unto  Nineveh, 
that  great  city,  and  preach  unto  it  the  preaching 
that  I  bid  thee." 

So  Jonah  arose,  and  went  unto  Nineveh,  ac- 
cording to  the  word  of  the  Lord.  Now  Nineveh  was 
an  exceeding  great  city  of  three  days'  journey. 
And  Jonah  began  to  enter  into  the  city  a  day's 
journey,  and  he  cried,  and  said,  "Yet  forty  days, 
and  Nineveh  shall  be  overthrown." 

So  the  people  of  Nineveh  believed  God,  and 
proclaimed  a  fast,  and  put  on  sackcloth,  from  the 
greatest  of  them  even  to  the  least  of  them.  For 
word  came  unto  the  king  of  Nineveh,  and  he 
arose  from  his  throne,  and  he  laid  his  robe  from 


THE   GOURD  AND   GOD'S  PITY    345 

him,  and  covered  him  with  sackcloth,  and   sat 
in  ashes. 

And  he  caused  it  to  be  proclaimed  and  published 
through  Nineveh  by  the  decree  of  the  king  and 
his  nobles,  saying,  "Let  neither  man  nor  beast, 
herd  nor  flock,  taste  any  thing:  let  them  not  feed, 
nor  drink  water.  But  let  man  and  beast  be  cov- 
ered with  sackcloth,  and  cry  mightily  unto  God. 
Yea,  let  them  turn  every  one  from  his  evil  way, 
and  from  the  violence  that  is  in  their  hands. 
Who  can  tell  if  God  will  turn  and  repent,  and 
turn  away  from  his  fierce  anger,  that  we  perish 
not?" 

And  God  saw  their  works,  that  they  turned 
from  their  evil  way;  and  God  repented  of  the  evil, 
that  he  had  satd  that  he  would  do  unto  them; 
and  he  did  it  not. 

Jonah, 3 

THE  GOURD  AND  GOD'S  PITY 

But  it  displeased  Jonah  exceedingly,  and  he 
was  very  angry.  And  he  prayed  unto  the  Lord, 
and  said,  *'I  pray  thee,  O  Lord,  was  not  this  my 
saying,  when  I  was  yet  in  my  country?  There- 
fore I  fled  before  unto  Tarshish.  For  I  knew  that 
thou  art  a  gracious  God,  and  merciful,  slow  to 
anger,  and  of  great  kindness,  and  repentest 
thee  of  the  evil.   Therefore  now,  O  Lord,  take,  I 


346  BIBLE  STORIES 

beseech  thee,  my  life  from  me;  for  it  is  better 
for  me  to  die  than  to  Hve." 

Then  said  the  Lord,  "Doest  thou  well  to  be 
angry?" 

So  Jonah  went  out  of  the  city,  and  sat  on  the 
east  side  of  the  city,  and  there  made  him  a  booth, 
and  sat  under  it  in  the  shadow,  till  he  might  see 
what  would  become  of  the  city. 

And  the  Lord  God  prepared  a  gourd,  and 
made  it  to  come  up  over  Jonah,  that  it  might 
be  a  shadow  over  his  head,  to  deliver  him  from 
his  grief.  So  Jonah  was  exceeding  glad  of  the 
gourd. 

But  God  prepared  a  worm  when  the  morning 
rose  the  next  day,  and  it  smote  the  gourd  that  it 
withered.  And  it  came  to  pass,  when  the  sun  did 
arise,  that  God  prepared  a  vehement  east  wind; 
and  the  sun  beat  upon  the  head  of  Jonah,  that 
he  fainted,  and  wished  in  himself  to  die,  and  said, 
*'It  is  better  for  me  to  die  than  to  live." 

And  God  said  to  Jonah,  "Doest  thou  well  to 
be  angry  for  the  gourd.'^ "  And  he  said,  "I  do  well 
to  be  angry,  even  unto  death." 

Then  said  the  Lord,  "Thou  hast  had  pity  on 
the  gourd,  for  the  which  thou  hast  not  laboured, 
neither  madest  it  grow;  which  came  up  in  a  night, 
and  perished  in  a  night.  And  should  not  I  spare 
Nineveh,  that  great  city,  wherein  are  more  than 
sixscore  thousand  persons    that  cannot  discern 


THE  TEN  TRIBES  CARRIED  AWAY    347 

between  their  rif^ht  hand  and  their  left  hand;  and 
also  much  cattle?  " 

Jonah,  4 

More  about  Jonah,  "  The  Word  of  the  Lord  by  Jonah," 
2  Kings,  chap.  1^,  verses  23-20;  '^ As  Jonas  Was,''  Matlheir, 
chap.  12,  verses  38-4^;  "  The  Sign  of  the  Prophet  Jonas," 
Matthew,  chap.  10,  verses  1-4 


THE  TEN  TRIBES  CARRIED  AWAY 

In  the  twelfth  year  of  Aliaz  king  of  Judah  began 
Hoshea  the  son  of  Elah  to  reign  in  Samaria  over 
Israel  nine  years.  And  he  did  that  which  was  evil 
in  the  sight  of  the  Lord,  but  not  as  the  kings  of 
Israel  that  were  before  him. 

Against  him  came  up  Shalmaneser  king  of  As- 
syria; and  Hoshea  became  his  servant,  and  gave 
him  presents.  And  the  king  of  Assyria  found  con- 
spiracy in  Hoshea:  for  he  had  sent  messengers 
to  So  king  of  Egypt,  and  brought  no  present  to 
the  king  of  Assyria,  as  he  had  done  year  by  year. 
Therefore  the  king  of  Assyria  shut  him  up,  and 
bound  him  in  prison. 

Then  the  king  of  Assyria  came  up  throughout 
all  the  land,  and  went  up  to  Samaria,  and  besieged 
it  three  years. 

In  the  ninth  year  of  Hoshea  the  king  of  Assj-ria 
took  Samaria,  and  carried  Israel  away  into  As- 
syria, and  placed  them  in  Halah  and  in  Habor  by 
the  river  of  Gozan,  and  in  the  cities  of  the  ]Medes. 


348  BIBLE   STORIES 

For  so  it  was,  that  the  children  of  Israel  had 
sinned  against  the  Lord  their  God,  which  had 
brought  them  up  out  of  the  land  of  Egj^pt,  from 
under  the  hand  of  Pharaoh  king  of  Egypt,  and  had 
feared  other  gods,  and  walked  in  the  statutes  of 
the  heathen,  whom  the  Lord  cast  out  from  before 
the  children  of  Israel,  and  of  the  kings  of  Israel, 
which  they  had  made. 

And  the  children  of  Israel  did  secretly  those 
things  that  were  not  right  against  the  Lord  their 
God,  and  they  built  them  high  places  in  all  their 
cities,  from  the  tower  of  the  watchmen  to  the 
fenced  city.  And  they  set  them  up  images  and 
groves  in  every  high  hill,  and  under  every  green 
tree:  and  there  they  burnt  incense  in  all  the  high 
places,  as  did  the  heathen  whom  the  Lord  carried 
away  before  them;  and  wrought  wicked  things  to 
provoke  the  Lord  to  anger:  for  they  served  idols, 
whereof  the  Lord  had  said  unto  them,  "Ye  shall 
not  do  this  thing." 

Yet  the  Lord  testified  against  Israel,  and  against 
Judah,  by  all  the  prophets,  and  by  all  the  seers, 
saying,  "  Turn  ye  from  your  evil  ways,  and  keep 
my  commandments  and  my  statutes,  according  to 
all  the  law  which  I  commanded  your  fathers,  and 
which  I  sent  to  you  by  my  servants  the  j^rophets." 
Notwithstanding  they  would  not  hear,  but  hard- 
ened their  necks,  like  to  the  neck  of  their  fathers, 
that  did  not  believe  in  the  Lord  their  God. 


THE  TEN  TRIBES  CARRIED  AWAY    349 

And  they  rejected  his  statutes,  and  his  cove- 
nant that  he  made  with  their  fathers,  and  his 
testimonies  which  he  testified  against  them;  and 
they  followed  vanity,  and  became  vain,  and  went 
after  the  heathen  that  were  round  about  them, 
concerning  whom  the  Lord  had  charged  them, 
that  they  should  not  do  like  them. 

And  they  left  all  the  commandments  of  the 
Lord  their  God,  and  made  them  molten  images, 
even  two  calves,  and  made  a  grove,  and  wor- 
shipped all  the  host  of  heaven,  and  served  Baal. 
And  they  caused  their  sons  and  their  daughters 
to  pass  through  the  fire,  and  used  divination  and 
enchantments,  and  sold  themselves  to  do  evil  in 
the  sight  of  the  Lord,  to  provoke  him  to  anger. 

Therefore  the  Lord  was  very  angry  with  Israel, 
and  removed  theip  out  of  his  sight:  there  was  none 
left  but  the  tribe  of  Judah  only. 

Also  Judah  kept  not  the  commandments  of 
the  Lord  their  God,  but  walked  in  the  statutes  of 
Israel  which  they  made. 

And  the  Lord  rejected  all  the  seed  of  Israel,  and 
afflicted  them,  and  delivered  them  into  the  hand 
of  spoilers,  until  he  had  cast  them  out  of  his  sight. 
For  he  rent  Israel  from  the  house  of  David;  and 
they  made  Jeroboam  the  son  of  Nebat  king.  And 
Jeroboam  drave  Israel  from  following  the  Lord, 
and  made  them  sin  a  great  sin.  For  the  children 
of  Israel  walked  in  all  the  sins  of  Jeroboam  which 


350  BIBLE  STORIES 

he  did;  they  departed  not  from  them;  until  the 
Lord  removed  Israel  out  of  his  sight,  as  he  had 
said  by  all  his  servants  the  prophets. 

So  was  Israel  carried  away  out  of  their  own  land 
to  Assyria  unto  this  day. 

2  Kings,  17 

Read  about  "  The  Samariiatis  from  Assyria,"  2  Kings, 
chap.  17 


5hfKitgSi)ttio|tkM)roj|u5ati 


Judah,  thou  art  he  whom  thy  brethren  shall  praise:  thy 
hand  shall  be  in  the  neck  of  thine  enemies;  thy  father's  children 
shall  bow  down  before  thee.  Judah  t*  a  lion's  ichelp:  from  the 
prey,  my  son,  thou  art  gone  up:  he  stooped  doum,  he  couched  as  a 
lion,  and  as  an  old  lion;  who  shall  rouse  him  up  ?  The  sceptre 
shall  not  depart  from  Judah,  nor  a  lawgiver  until  Shiloh  come; 
and  unto  him  shall  the  gathering  of  the  people  be. 

Genesis,  49 


THE   EVIL  REIGN   OF   REHOBOAM 

ND  Rehoboam  the  son  of  Solomon  reigned 
in  Judah.  Rehoboam  was  forty  and  one 
years  old  when  he  began  to  reign,  and  he 
reigned  seventeen  years  in  Jerusalem,  the  city 
which  the  Lord  did  choose  out  of  all  the 
tribes  of  Israel,  to  put  his  name  there.  And 
his  mother's  name  was  Naamah  an  Ammonitess. 
And  Judah  did  evil  in  the  sight  of  the  Lord, 
and  they  provoked  him  to  jealousy  with  their 
sins  which  they  had  committed,  above  all  that 
their  fathers  had  done. 

For  they  also  built  them  high  places,  and  images, 
and  groves,  on  every  high  hill,  and  under  every 
green  tree,  and  they  did  according  to  all  the 
abominations  of  the  nations  which  the  Lord  cast 
out  before  the  children  of  Israel. 

And  it  came  to  pass  in  the  fifth  year  of  king 
Rehoboam,  that  Shishak  king  of  Egypt  came  up 
against  Jerusalem.  And  he  took  away  the  treas- 
ures of  the  house  of  the  Lord,  and  the  treas- 
ures of  the  king's  house;  he  even  took  away  all. 
And  he  took  away  all  the  shields  of  gold  which 
Solomon  had  made. 

And  king  Rehoboam  made  in  their  stead  bra- 
zen shields,  and  committed  them  unto  the  hands 


354  BIBLE   STORIES 

of  the  chief  of  the  guard,  which  kept  the  door 
of  the  king's  house.  And  it  was  so,  when  the  king 
went  into  the  house  of  the  Lord,  that  the  guard 
bare  them,  and  brought  them  back  into  the 
guard  chamber. 

Now  the  rest  of  the  acts  of  Rt^hoboam,  and  all 
that  he  did,  are  they  not  written  in  the  book  of 
the  chronicles  of  the  kings  of  Judali.'*  And  there 
was  war  between  Rehoboam  and  Jeroboam  ^  all 
their  days.  And  Rehoboam  slept  with  his  fathers, 
and  was  buried  with  his  fathers  in  the  city  of 
David.  And  his  mother's  name  was  Naamah  an 
Ammonitess.  And  Abijam  his  son  reigned  in  his 
stead. 

1  Kings,  14' 

Read  "  How  Asa  Cleansed  Judah  of  Idols,"  2  Chronicles, 
chap.  H,  and  chaps,  lu  and  16 

THE  LITTLE   HIDDEN  KING 

In  the  twelfth  year  of  Joram  the  son  of  Ahab 
king  of  Israel  did  Ahaziah  the  son  of  Joram  king 
of  Judah  begin  to  reign. 

Two  and  twenty  years  old  was  Ahaziah  when 
he  regan  to  reign;  and  he  reigned  one  year  in 
Jerusalem.  And  his  mother's  name  was  Athaliah 
the  daughter  of  Omri  king  of  Israel.  He  also 
walked  in  the  ways  of  the  house  of  Ahab:  for  his 

See  page  338. 


THE    LITTLE   HIDDEN   KING      355 

mother  was  his  counsellor  to  do  wickedly.  AVhere- 
fore  he  did  evil  in  the  sight  of  the  Lord  like  the 
house  of  Ahab :  for  they  were  his  counsellors,  after 
the  death  of  his  father,  to  his  destruction. 

He  walked  also  after  their  counsel,  and  went 
with  Joram  the  son  of  Ahab  king  of  Israel  to  war 
against  Hazael  king  of  Syria  at  Ramoth-gilead : 
and  the  Syrians  smote  Joram.  And  he  returned 
to  be  healed  in  Jezreel  because  of  the  wounds 
which  were  given  him  at  Ramah,  when  he  fought 
with  Hazael  king  of  Syria.  And  Azariah  the  son 
of  Joram  king  of  Judah  went  down  to  see  Joram 
the  son  of  Ahab  at  Jezreel,  because  he  was  sick. 

And  the  destruction  of  Ahaziah  was  of  God  by 
coming  to  Joram :  for  when  he  was  come,  he  went 
out  with  Joram  against  Jehu  the  son  of  Nimshi. 
whom  the  Lord  had  anointed  to  cut  off  the  house 
of  Ahab.  And  it  came  to  pass,  that,  when  Jehu 
was  executing  judgment  upon  the  house  of  Ahab, 
and  found  the  princes  of  Judah,  and  the  sons  of 
the  brethren  of  Ahaziah,  that  ministered  to  Aha- 
ziah, he  slew  them.  And  he  sought  Ahaziah:  and 
they  caught  him,  (for  he  was  hid  in  Samaria,) 
and  brought  him  to  Jehu:  and  when  they  had 
slain  him,  they  buried  him:  "Because,"  said  they, 
"he  is  the  son  of  Jehoshaphat,  who  sought  the 
Lord  with  all  his  heart."  So  the  house  of  Ahaziah 
had  no  power  to  keep  still  the  kingdom. 

And  when  Athaliah  the  mother  of  Ahaziah  saw 


356  BIBLE   STORIES 

that  her  son  was  dead,  she  arose  and  destroyed 
all  the  seed  royal.  But  Jehosheba,  the  daughter 
of  king  Joram,  sister  of  Ahaziah,  (the  wife  of  Je- 
hoiada  the  priest,)  took  Joash  the  son  of  Ahaziah, 
and  stole  him  from  among  the  king's  sons  which 
were  slain;  and  they  hid  him,  even  him  and  his 
nurse,  in  the  bed-chamber  from  Athaliah,  so  that 
he  was  not  slain.  And  he  was  with  her  hid  in 
the  house  of  the  Lord  six  years.  And  Athaliah 
did  reign  over  the  land. 

And  the  seventh  year  Jehoiada  sent  and  fetched 
the  rulers  over  hundreds,  with  the  captains  and 
the  guard,  and  brought  them  to  him  into  the 
house  of  the  Lord,  and  made  a  covenant  with 
them,  and  took  an  oath  of  them  in  the  house  of 
the  Lord,  and  shewed  them  the  king's  son.  And 
he  said  unto  them,  "  Behold,  the  king's  son 
shall  reign,  as  the  Lord  hath  said  of  the  sons  of 
David." 

And  he  commanded  them,  saying,  "  This  is  the 
thing  that  ye  shall  do.  A  third  part  of  you  that 
enter  in  on  the  sabbath  shall  even  be  keepers  of 
the  watch  of  the  king's  house.  And  a  third  part 
shall  be  at  the  gate  of  Sur.  And  a  third  part  at 
the  gate  behind  the  guard.  So  shall  ye  keep  the 
watch  of  the  house,  that  it  be  not  broken  down. 
And  two  parts  of  all  you  that  go  forth  on  the  sab- 
bath, even  they  shall  keep  the  watch  of  the  house 
of  the  Lord  about  the  king.  And  ye  shall  compass 


THE   LITTLE   HIDDEN  KING      357 

the  king  round  about,  every  man  with  his  weapons 
in  his  hand.  And  he  that  cometh  within  the 
ranges,  let  him  be  slain.  And  be  ye  with  the  king 
as  he  goeth  out  and  as  he  cometh  in." 

And  the  captains  over  the  hundreds  did  ac- 
cording to  all  things  that  Jehoiada  the  priest 
commanded.  And  they  took  every  man  his  men 
that  were  to  come  in  on  the  sabbath,  with  them 
that  should  go  out  on  the  sabbath,  and  came 
to  Jehoiada  the  priest.  And  to  the  captains 
over  hundreds  did  the  priest  give  king  David's 
spears  and  shields,  that  were  in  the  temple  of  the 
Lord. 

And  the  guard  stood,  every  man  with  his  wea- 
pons in  his  hand,  round  about  the  king,  from  the 
right  corner  of  the  temple  to  the  left  corner  of  the 
temple,  along  by  the  altar  and  the  temple.  And 
he  brought  forth  the  king's  son,  and  put  the  crown 
upon  him,  and  gave  him  the  testimony;  and  they 
made  him  king,  and  anointed  him;  and  they 
clapped  their  hands,  and  said,  "  God  save  the 
king!" 

And  when  Athaliah  heard  the  noise  of  the  guard 
and  of  the  people,  she  came  to  the  people  into  the 
temple  of  the  Lord.  And  when  she  looked,  behold, 
the  king  stood  by  a  pillar,  as  the  manner  was,  and 
the  princes  and  the  trumpeters  by  the  king,  and 
all  the  people  of  the  land  rejoiced,  and  blew  with 
trumpets. 


358  BIBLE  STORIES 

And  Athaliah  rent  her  clothes,  and  cried,  "  Trea- 
son! Treason!  " 

But  Jehoiada  the  priest  commanded  the  cap- 
tains of  the  hundreds,  the  officers  of  the  host,  and 
said  unto  them,  "Have  her  forth  without  the 
ranges:  and  him  that  followeth  her  kill  with  the 
sword."  For  the  priest  had  said,  "Let  her  not 
be  slain  in  the  house  of  the  Lord." 

And  they  laid  hands  on  her;  and  she  went  by 
the  way  by  the  which  the  horses  came  into  the 
king's  house:  and  there  was  she  slain. 

And  Jehoiada  made  a  covenant  between  the 
Lord  and  the  king  and  the  people,  that  they  should 
be  the  Lord's  people;  between  the  king  also  and 
the  people.  And  all  the  people  of  the  land  went 
into  the  house  of  Baal,  and  brake  it  down;  his  al- 
tars and  his  images  brake  they  in  pieces  tho- 
roughly, and  slew  Mattan  the  priest  of  Baal  before 
the  altars.  And  the  priest  appointed  officers  over 
the  house  of  the  Lord. 

And  he  took  the  rulers  over  hundreds,  and  the 
captains,  and  the  guard,  and  all  the  people  of  the 
land;  and  they  brought  down  the  king  from 
the  house  of  the  Lord,  and  came  by  the  way  of  the 
gate  of  the  guard  to  the  king's  house.  And  he  sat 
on  the  throne  of  the  kings.  And  all  the  people  of 
the  land  rejoiced,  and  the  city  was  in  quiet:  and 
they  slew  Athaliah  with  the  sword  beside  the 
king's  house. 


THE   ASSYRIANS  SMITTEN        359 

Seven  years  old  was  Joash  when  he  began  to 
reign. 

2  Kings,  8,  11;  2  Chronicles,  22,  23 

Read  also  the  story  of  "  The  Thistle  that  Was  in  Lebanon," 
2  Kings,  chap.  14;  "  The  Evil  Reign  of  King  Ahaz,"  2  Kings, 
chap.  16 


HOW  THE   ANGEL  OF   THE   LORD 

SMOTE   THE   ASSYRIANS  BY 

NIGHT 

Now  it  came  to  pass  that  Hezekiah  the  son  of 
Ahaz  king  of  Judah  began  to  reign.  Twenty  and 
five  years  old  was  he  when  he  began  to  reign ;  and 
he  reigned  twenty  and  nine  j^ears  in  Jerusalem. 
His  mother's  name  also  was  Abi,  the  daughter  of 
Zachariah. 

And  he  did  that  which  was  right  in  the  sight  of 
the  Lord,  according  to  all  that  David  his  father 
did.  He  removed  the  high  places,  and  brake  the 
images,  and  cut  down  the  groves,  and  brake  in 
pieces  the  brazen  serpent  ^  that  Moses  had  made. 
For  unto  those  days  the  children  of  Israel  did 
burn  incense  to  it:  and  he  called  it  "  Nehushtan," 
(that  is  a  piece  of  brass.) 

He  trusted  in  the  Lord  God  of  Israel;  so  that 
after  him  was  none  like  him  among  all  the  kings 
of  Judah,  nor  any  that  were  before  him.   For  he 

'  See  page   170. 


360  BIBLE  STORIES 

clave  to  the  Lord,  and  departed  not  from  follow- 
ing him,  but  kept  his  commandments,  which  the 
Lord  commanded  Moses. 

And  the  Lord  was  with  him;  and  he  prospered 
whithersoever  he  went  forth.  And  he  rebelled 
against  the  king  of  Assyria,  and  served  him  not. 
He  smote  the  Philistines,  even  unto  Gaza,  and  the 
borders  thereof,  from  the  tower  of  the  watchmen 
to  the  fenced  city. 

Now  in  the  fourteenth  year  of  king  Hezekiah 
did  Sennacherib  king  of  Assyria  come  up  against 
all  the  fenced  cities  of  Judah,  and  took  them. 
And  Hezekiah  king  of  Judah  sent  to  the  king  of 
Assyria  to  Lachish,  saying,  "  I  have  offended;  re- 
turn from  me.  That  which  thou  puttest  on  me  will 
I  bear."  And  the  king  of  Assyria  appointed  unto 
Hezekiah  king  of  Judah  three  hundred  talents  of 
silver  and  thirty  talents  of  gold.  And  Hezekiah 
gave  him  all  the  silver  that  was  found  in  the  house 
of  the  Lord,  and  in  the  treasures  of  the  king's 
house.  At  that  time  did  Hezekiah  cut  off  the 
gold  from  the  doors  of  the  temple  of  the  Lord,  and 
from  the  pillars  which  Hezekiah  king  of  Judah 
had  overlaid,  and  gave  it  to  the  king  of  Assyria. 

And  the  king  of  Assyria  sent  messengers  again 
imto  Hezekiah,  saying,  "Thus  shall  ye  speak  to 
Hezekiaii  king  of  Judah,  saying,  'Let  not  thy  (rod 
in  whom  thou  trustest  deceive  thee,  saying, "  Jeru- 


THE   ASSYRIANS   SIMITTEN        3G1 

salem  shall  not  be  delivered  into  the  hand  of  the 
king  of  Assyria."  Behold,  thou  hast  heard  what 
the  kings  of  Assyria  have  done  to  all  lands,  by 
destroying  them  utterly:  and  shalt  thou  be  de- 
livered? Have  the  gods  of  the  nations  delivered 
them  which  my  fathers  have  destroyed?  Where 
is  the  king  of  Hamath,  and  the  king  of  Arpad,  and 
the  king  of  the  city  of  Sepharvaim,  of  Hena,  and 
Ivah?'" 

And  Hezekiah  received  the  letter  of  the  hand 
of  the  messengers,  and  read  it :  and  Hezekiah  went 
up  into  the  house  of  the  Lord,  and  spread  it  before 
the  Lord. 

And  Hezekiah  prayed  before  the  Lord,  and 
said,  "  O  Lord  God  of  Israel,  which  dwellest  be- 
tween the  cherubims,  thou  art  the  God,  even  thou 
alone,  of  all  the  kingdoms  of  the  earth;  thou  hast 
made  heaven  and  earth.  Lord,  bow  down  thine 
ear,  and  hear.  Open,  Lord,  thine  eyes,  and  see: 
and  hear  the  words  of  Sennacherib,  which  hath 
sent  him  to  reproach  the  living  God.  Of  a  truth. 
Lord,  the  kings  of  Assyria  have  destroyed  the  na- 
tions and  their  lands,  and  have  cast  their  gods 
into  the  fire:  for  they  were  no  gods,  but  the  work 
of  men's  hands,  wood  and  stone:  therefore  they 
have  destroyed  them.  Now  therefore,  O  Lord  our 
God,  I  beseech  thee,  save  thou  us  out  of  his  hand, 
that  all  the  kingdoms  of  the  earth  may  know  that 
thou  art  the  Lord  God,  even  thou  only." 


362  BIBLE   STORIES 

Then  Isaiah  the  son  of  Amoz  sent  to  Hezekiah, 
saying,  "Thus  saith  the  Lord  God  of  Israel,  'That 
which  thou  hast  prayed  to  me  against  Sennac- 
herib king  of  Assyria  I  have  heard.'  This  is  the 
word  that  the  Lord  hath  spoken  concerning  him; 
'  The  virgin  the  daughter  of  Zion  hath  despised 
thee,  and  laughed  thee  to  scorn;  the  daughter  of 
Jerusalem  hath  shaken  her  head  at  thee.  Whom 
hast  thou  reproached  and  blasphemed?  and 
against  whom  hast  thou  exalted  thy  voice,  and 
lifted  up  thine  eyes  on  high.'^  even  against  the 
Holy  One  of  Israel. 

"'By  thy  messengers  thou  hast  reproached  the 
Lord,  and  hast  said,  "  With  the  multitude  of  my 
chariots  I  am  come  up  to  the  height  of  the  moun- 
tains, to  the  sides  of  Lebanon,  and  will  cut  down 
the  tall  cedar  trees  thereof,  and  the  choice  fir  trees 
thereof:  and  I  will  enter  into  the  lodgings  of  his 
borders,  and  into  the  forest  of  his  Carmel.  I  have 
digged  and  drunk  strange  waters,  and  with  the 
sole  of  my  feet  have  I  dried  uj)  all  the  rivers  of 
besieged  places." 

"'Hast  thou  not  heard  long  ago  how  I  have 
done  it,  and  of  ancient  times  that  I  have  formed 
it.'^  now  have  I  brought  it  to  pass,  that  thou 
shouldest  be  to  lay  waste  fenced  cities  into  ruin- 
ous heaps.  Therefore  their  inhabitants  were  of 
small  i)ower,  they  were  dismayed  and  confounded; 
they  were  as  the  grass  of  the  field,  and  as  the 


THE  ASSYRIANS  SMITTEN       363 

green  herb,  as  the  grass  on  the  house  tops,  and  as 
corn  blasted  before  it  be  grown  up. 

"*But  I  know  thy  abode,  and  thy  going  out, 
and  thy  coming  in,  and  thj^  rage  against  me.  Be- 
cause thy  rage  against  me  and  thy  tumult  is  come 
up  into  mine  ears,  therefore  I  will  put  my  hook 
in  thy  nose,  and  my  bridle  in  thy  lips,  and  I  will 
turn  thee  back  by  the  way  by  which  thou  camest. 

"'x\nd  this  shall  be  a  sign  unto  thee,  ye  shall 
eat  this  year  such  things  as  grow  of  themselves, 
and  in  the  second  year  that  which  springeth  of  the 
same;  and  in  the  third  year  sow  ye,  and  reap,  and 
plant  vineyards,  and  eat  the  fruits  thereof.  And 
the  remnant  that  is  escaped  of  the  house  of  Judah 
shall  yet  again  take  root  downward,  and  bear 
fruit  upward.  For  out  of  Jerusalem  shall  go  forth 
a  remnant,  and  they  that  escape  out  of  mount 
Zion:  the  zeal  of  the  Lord  of  hosts  shall  do  this.' 

"Therefore  thus  saith  the  Lord  concerning  the 
king  of  Assyria, '  He  shall  not  come  into  this  city, 
nor  shoot  an  arrow  there,  nor  come  before  it  with 
shield,  nor  cast  a  bank  against  it.  By  the  waj'  that 
he  came,  by  the  same  shall  he  return,  and  shall 
not  come  into  this  city,'  saith  the  Lord.  'For  I 
will  defend  this  city,  to  save  it,  for  mine  own  sake, 
and  for  my  servant  David's  sake.'  " 

And  it  came  to  pass  that  night,  that  the  angel  of 
the  Lord  went  out,  and  smote  in  the  camp  of  the 
Assyrians  an  hundred  fourscore  and  five  tliou- 


364  BIBLE   STORIES 

sand:  and  when  they  arose  early  in  the  morning, 
behold,  they  were  all  dead  corpses.  So  Sennac- 
herib king  of  Assyria  departed,  and  went  and  re- 
turned, and  dwelt  at  Nineveh. 

And  it  came  to  pass,  as  he  was  worshipping  in 
the  house  of  Nisroch  his  god,  that  Adrammelech 
and  Sharezer  his  sons  smote  him  with  the  sword : 
and  they  escaped  into  the  land  of  Armenia,  And 
Esarhaddon  his  son  reigned  in  his  stead. 

2  Kings,  18,  19 

Other  interesting  stories  are,  "  The  First  Message  and  How 
the  Assyrians  Reproached  the  Living  God,''  2  Kings,  chaps.  18 
and  19;  '*  The  Shadow  that  Went  Backward  Ten  Degrees," 
2  Kings,  chap.  20 


TO  WHOM  WILL  YE  LIKEN  GOD? 

To  whom  then  will  ye  liken  God?  or  what  like- 
ness will  ye  compare  unto  him?  The  workman 
melteth  a  graven  image,  and  the  goldsmith 
spreadeth  it  over  with  gold,  and  casteth  silver 
chains.  He  that  is  so  impoverished  that  he  hath 
no  oblation  chooseth  a  tree  that  will  not  rot;  he 
seeketh  unto  him  a  cunning  workman  to  prepare 
a  graven  image,  that  shall  not  be  moved. 

Have  ye  not  known?  have  ye  not  heard?  hath 
it  not  been  told  you  from  the  beginning?  have  ye 
not  understood  from  the  foundations  of  the  earth? 
It  is  he  that  sitteth  upon  the  circle  of  the  earth, 


TO  WHOM  WILL  YE  LIKEN  GOD?    365 

and  the  inhabitants  thereof  are  as  grasshoppers; 
that  stretcheth  out  the  heavens  as  a  curtain,  and 
spreadeth  them  out  as  a  tent  to  dwell  in:  that 
bringeth  the  princes  to  nothing;  he  makctli  the 
judges  of  the  earth  as  vanity.  Yea,  they  shall  not 
be  planted;  yea,  they  shall  not  be  sown;  yea, 
their  stock  shall  not  take  root  in  the  earth:  and 
he  shall  also  blow  upon  them,  and  they  shall 
wither,  and  the  whirlwind  shall  take  them  away 
as  stubble. 

"  To  whom  then  will  ye  liken  me,  or  shall  I  be 
equal?  "  saith  the  Holy  One. 

Lift  up  your  eyes  on  high,  and  behold  who  hath 
created  these  things,  that  bringeth  out  their  host 
by  number.  He  calleth  them  all  by  names  by  the 
greatness  of  his  might,  for  that  he  is  strong  in 
power;  not  one  faileth. 

Why  sayest  thou,  O  Jacob,  and  speakest,  O 
Israel,  "My  way  is  hid  from  the  Lord,  and  my 
judgment  is  passed  over  from  my  God?" 

Hast  thou  not  known?  hast  thou  not  heard,  that 
the  everlasting  God,  the  Lord,  the  Creator  of  the 
ends  of  the  earth,  fainteth  not,  neither  is  weary? 
there  is  no  searching  of  his  understanding. 

He  giveth  power  to  the  faint;  and  to  them  that 
have  no  might  he  increaseth  strength.  Even  the 
youths  shall  faint  and  be  weary,  and  the  yoimg 
men  shall  utterly  fall :  but  they  that  wait  upon  the 
Lord  shall  renew  their  strength;  they  shall  mount 


366  BIBLE  STORIES 

up  with  wings  as  eagles;  they  shall  run,  and  not  be 
weary;  and  they  shall  walk,  and  not  faint. 

Isaiah,  40 

OJ  idol-worship;  ''Israel's  Sin,"  Psalm  106;  "  The  Graven 
Image,"  Isaiah,  chaps.  44-,  and  46;  "  The  Worship  of  Angels,'" 
Colossians,  chap.  2,  verses  18-23;  "  The  Priest  of  Jupiter," 
Acts,  chap.  14;  "  Great  is  Diana  of  the  Ephesians,"  Acts, 
chap.  19 


THE  ABOMINATIONS  OF  MANASSEH 

Manasseh  was  twelve  years  old  when  he  began 
to  reign,  and  reigned  fifty  and  five  years  in  Jeru- 
salem. And  his  mother's  name  was  Hephzi- 
bah. 

And  he  did  that  which  was  evil  in  the  sight  of 
the  Lord,  after  the  abominations  of  the  heathen, 
whom  the  Lord  cast  out  before  the  children  of 
Israel.  For  he  built  up  again  the  high  places  which 
Hezekiah  his  father  had  destroyed;  and  he  reared 
up  altars  for  Baal,  and  made  a  grove,  as  did  Ahab 
king  of  Israel;  and  worshij)ped  all  the  host  of 
heaven,  and  served  them.  And  he  built  altars  in 
the  house  of  the  Lord,  of  which  the  Lord  said, 
"  In  Jerusalem  will  I  put  my  name."  And  he  built 
altars  for  all  the  host  of  heaven  in  the  two  courts 
of  the  house  of  the  Lord. 

And  he  made  his  son  pass  through  the  fire,  and 
observed  times,  and  used  enchantments,  and  dealt 
with  familiar  spirits  and  wizards.     He  wrought 


ABOMINATIONS  OF  MANASSEH    3C7 

much  wickedness  in  the  sight  of  the  Lord,  to 
provoke  him  to  anger. 

And  he  set  a  carved  image,  the  idol  which  he 
had  made,  in  the  house  of  God,  of  which  God  had 
said  to  David  and  to  Solomon  his  son,  "In  this 
house,  and  in  Jerusalem,  which  I  have  chosen  be- 
fore all  the  tribes  of  Israel,  will  I  put  my  name  for 
ever.  Neither  will  I  make  the  feet  of  Israel  move 
any  more  out  of  the  land  which  I  gave  their 
fathers;  only  if  they  will  observe  to  do  according 
to  all  that  I  have  commanded  them,  and  accord- 
ing to  all  the  law  that  my  servant  Moses  com- 
manded them." 

But  they  hearkened  not.  And  Manasseh  se- 
duced them  to  do  more  evil  than  did  the  nations 
whom  the  Lord  destroyed  before  the  children  of 
Israel. 

And  the  Lord  spake  by  his  servants  the  pro- 
phets, saying,  "Because  Manasseh  king  of  Ju- 
dah  hath  done  these  abominations,  and  hath  done 
wickedly  above  all  that  the  Amorites  did,  which 
were  before  him,  and  hath  made  Judah  also  to  sin 
with  his  idols :  therefore  thus  saith  the  Lord  Gcd 
of  Israel,  '  Behold,  I  am  bringing  such  evil  upon 
Jerusalem  and  Judah,  that  whosoever  heareth  of 
it,  both  his  ears  shall  tingle. 

"  'And  I  will  stretch  over  Jerusalem  the  line  of 
Samaria,  and  the  plummet  of  the  house  of  Aliab: 
and  I  will  wipe  Jerusalem  as  a  man  wipeth  a  dish. 


3G8  BIBLE  STORIES 

wiping  it,  and  turning  it  upside  down.  And  I  will 
forsake  the  remnant  of  mine  inheritance,  and  de- 
liver them  into  the  hand  of  their  enemies;  and 
they  shall  become  a  prey  and  a  spoil  to  all  their 
enemies;  because  they  have  done  that  which  was 
evil  in  my  sight,  and  have  provoked  me  to  anger, 
since  the  day  their  fathers  came  forth  out  of 
Egypt,  even  unto  this  day.' " 

Moreover  Manasseh  shed  innocent  blood  very 
much,  till  he  had  filled  Jerusalem  from  one  end  to 
another;  beside  his  sin  wherewith  he  made  Judah 
to  sin,  in  doing  that  which  was  evil  in  the  sight  of 
the  Lord. 

Now  the  rest  of  the  acts  of  Manasseh,  and  all 
that  he  did,  and  his  sin  that  he  sinned,  are  they 
not  written  in  the  book  of  the  chronicles  of  the 
kings  of  Judah.'^  And  INIanasseh  slept  with  his 
fathers,  and  was  buried  in  the  garden  of  his  own 
house,  in  the  garden  of  Uzza:  and  Amon  his  son 
reigned  in  his  stead. 

2  Kings,  21 

"  How  Manasseh  Knew  that  the  Lord  lie  was  God,''  2  Chron- 
icles, chap.  33 

THE  BOY  KING  OF  JUDAH 

JosiAH  was  eight  years  old  when  he  began  to 
reign,  and  he  reigned  thirty  and  one  years  in 
Jerusalem.    And  his  mother's  name  was  Jedidah, 


THE   BOY  KING   OF  JUDAH       3G9 

the  daughter  of  Adaiah  of  Boscath.  And  he  did 
that  which  was  right  in  the  sight  of  the  Lord,  and 
walked  in  all  the  way  of  David  his  father,  and 
turned  not  aside  to  the  right  hand  or  to  the  left. 

And  it  came  to  pass  in  the  eighteenth  year  of 
king  Josiah,  that  the  king  sent  Shaphan  the  son 
of  Azaliah,  the  son  of  Meshullam,  the  scribe,  to 
the  house  of  the  Lord,  saying,  "Go  up  to  Hilkiah 
the  high  priest,  that  he  may  sum  the  silver  which 
is  brought  into  the  house  of  the  Lord,  which  the 
keepers  of  the  door  have  gathered  of  the  people. 
And  let  them  deliver  it  into  the  hand  of  the  doers 
of  the  work,  that  have  the  oversight  of  the  house 
of  the  Lord.  And  let  them  give  it  to  the  doers  of 
the  work  which  is  in  the  house  of  the  Lord,  to 
repair  the  breaches  of  the  house,  unto  carpenters, 
and  builders,  and  masons,  and  to  buy  timber  and 
hewn  stone  to  repair  the  house." 

Howbeit  there  was  no  reckoning  made  with 
them  of  the  money  that  was  delivered  into  their 
hand,  because  they  dealt  faithfully. 

And  Hilkiah  the  high  priest  said  unto  Shaphan 
the  scribe,  "  I  have  found  the  book  of  the  law  in 
the  house  of  the  Lord."  And  Hilkiah  gave  the 
book  to  Shaphan,  and  he  read  it. 

And  Shaphan  the  scribe  came  to  the  king,  and 
brought  the  king  word  again,  and  said,  "  Thy  ser- 
vants have  gathered  the  money  that  was  foimd 
in  the  house,  and  have  delivered  it  into  the  hand 


S70  BIBLE  STORIES 

of  them  that  do  the  work,  that  have  the  over- 
sight of  the  house  of  the  Lord."  And  Shaphan 
the  scribe  shewed  the  king,  saying,  "Hilkiah  the 
priest  hath  delivered  me  a  book."  And  Shaphan 
read  it  before  the  king. 

And  it  came  to  pass,  when  the  king  had  heard 
the  words  of  the  book  of  the  law,  that  he  rent  his 
clothes.  And  the  king  commanded  Hilkiah  the 
priest,  and  Ahikam  the  son  of  Shaphan,  and 
Achbor  the  son  of  Michaiah,  and  Shaphan  the 
scribe,  and  Asahiah  a  servant  of  the  king's,  saying, 
"  Go  ye,  enquire  of  the  Lord  for  me,  and  for  the 
people,  and  for  all  Judah,  concerning  the  words  of 
this  book  that  is  found:  for  great  is  the  wrath  of 
the  Lord  that  is  kindled  against  us,  because  our 
fathers  have  not  hearkened  unto  the  words  of 
this  book,  to  do  according  unto  all  that  which  is 
written  concerning  us." 

So  Hilkiah  the  priest,  and  Ahikam,  and  Ach- 
bor, and  Shaphan,  and  Asahiah,  went  unto 
Iluldah  the  prophetess,  the  wife  of  Shallum  the 
son  of  Tikvah,  the  son  of  Harhas,  keeper  of  the 
wardrobe;  (now  she  dwelt  in  Jerusalem  in  the  col- 
lege;) and  they  communed  with  her. 

And  she  said  unto  them,  "Thus  saitli  the  Lord 
God  of  Israel, '  Tell  the  man  that  sent  you  to  me, 
thus  saith  the  Lord,  "  Behold,  I  will  bring  evil 
upon  this  place,  and  upon  the  inhal)itants  thereof, 
even  all  the  words  of  the  book  which  the  king  of 


THE  IDOLS'  GROVES   DESTROVKI)    mi 

Judah  hath  read.  Because  they  luiv<'  forsak*-!! 
me,  and  have  burned  incense  unto  other  1(1  >ds, 
that  they  might  provoke  me  to  anger  with  all  tlie 
works  of  their  hands;  tlierefore  my  wrath  shall 
be  kindled  against  this  place,  and  shall  not  be 
quenched." 

" '  But  to  the  king  of  Judah  which  sent  you  to  en- 
quire of  the  Lord,  thus  shall  ye  say  to  him,  "  Thus 
saith  the  Lord  God  of  Israel,  'As  touching  the 
words  which  thou  hast  heard;  because  thine  heart 
was  tender,  and  thou  hast  humbled  thyself  before 
the  Lord,  when  thou  heardest  what  I  spake  against 
this  place,  and  against  the  inhabitants  thereof, 
that  they  should  become  a  desolation  and  a  curse, 
and  hast  rent  ihy  clothes,  and  wept  before  me; 
I  also  have  heard  thee,'  saith  the  Lord.  '  Behold 
therefore,  I  will  gather  thee  unto  thy  fathers,  and 
thou  shalt  be  gathered  into  thy  grave  in  peace; 
and  thine  eyes  shall  not  see  all  the  evil  which  I 
will  bring  upon  this  place.'" 

And  they  brought  the  king  word  again. 

2  Kings,  22 

HOW  THE   BOY   KING   BROKi:   DOWN' 
THE   IDOLS'   (JRONKS 

And  the  king  sent,  and  they  gathered  unto  him 
all  the  elders  of  Judali  and  of  Jcnis;iK'iu.  And 
the  king  went  up  into  the  house  of  llie  lA>r(l,  and 


372  BIBLE   STORIES 

all  the  men  of  Judali  and  all  the  inhabitants  of 
Jerusalem  with  him,  and  the  priests,  and  the 
prophets,  and  all  the  people,  both  small  and  great. 
And  he  read  in  their  ears  all  the  words  of  the 
book  of  the  covenant  which  was  found  in  the 
house  of  the  Lord. 

And  the  king  stood  by  a  pillar,  and  made  a 
covenant  before  the  Lord,  to  walk  after  the  Lord, 
and  to  keep  his  commandments  and  his  testi- 
monies and  his  statutes  with  all  their  heart  and 
all  their  soul,  to  perform  the  words  of  this  cove- 
nant that  were  written  in  this  book.  And  all  the 
people  stood  to  the  covenant. 

And  the  king  commanded  Hilkiah  the  high 
priest,  and  the  priests  of  the  second  order,  and 
the  keepers  of  the  door,  to  bring  forth  out  of  the 
temple  of  the  Lord  all  the  vessels  that  were  made 
for  Baal,  and  for  the  grove,  and  for  all  the  host  of 
heaven.  And  he  burned  them  without  Jerusalem 
in  the  fields  of  Kidron,  and  carried  the  ashes  of 
them  unto  Beth-el. 

And  he  put  down  the  idolatrous  priests,  whom 
the  kings  of  Judah  had  ordained  to  burn  incense 
in  the  high  places  in  the  cities  of  Judah,  and  in 
the  places  round  about  Jerusalem;  them  also  that 
burned  incense  unto  Baal,  to  the  sun,  and  to  the 
moon,  and  to  the  planets,  and  to  all  the  host  of 
lieavrn. 

And  he  brought  out  the  grove  from  the  house 


THE   IDOLS'  GROANS  DESTROYED    373 

of  the  Lord,  without  Jerusalem,  unto  the  brook 
Kidron,  and  burned  it  at  the  brook  Kidron,  and 
stamped  it  small  to  powder,  and  cast  the  powder 
thereof  upon  the  graves  of  the  children  of  the 
people. 

And  he  brought  all  the  priests  out  of  the  cities 
of  Judah,  and  defiled  the  high  places  where  the 
priests  had  burned  incense,  from  Geba  to  Beer- 
sheba,  and  brake  down  the  high  places  of  the 
gates  that  were  in  the  entering  in  of  the  gate  of 
Joshua  the  governor  of  the  city,  which  were  on 
a  man's  left  hand  at  the  gate  of  the  city.  Never- 
theless the  priests  of  the  high  places  came  not  up 
to  the  altar  of  the  Lord  in  Jerusalem,  but  they 
did  eat  of  the  unleavened  bread  among  their 
brethren. 

And  he  defiled  Topheth,  which  is  in  the  valley 
of  the  children  of  Hinnom,  that  no  man  might 
make  his  son  or  his  daughter  to  pass  through  the 
fire  to  Molech. 

And  he  took  away  the  horses  that  the  kings  of 
Judah  had  given  to  the  sun,  at  the  entering  in  of 
the  house  of  the  Lord,  by  the  chamber  of  Natlian- 
melech  the  chamberlain,  which  was  in  the  suburbs, 
and  burned  the  chariots  of  the  sun  with  fire. 

And  the  altars  that  were  on  the  top  of  the  u])per 
chamber  of  Ahaz,  which  the  kings  of  Judah  had 
made,  antl  the  altars  which  INLinasseh  had  nuulc 
in  the  two  courts  of  the  house  of  the  Lord,  did  the 


374  BIBLE   STORIES 

king  beat  down,  and  brake  them  down  from 
thence,  and  cast  the  dust  of  them  into  the  brook 
Kidron. 

And  the  high  places  that  were  before  Jerusalem, 
which  were  on  the  right  hand  of  the  mount  of 
corruption,  which  Solomon  the  king  of  Israel 
had  builded  for  Ashtoreth  the  abomination  of  the 
Zidonians,  and  for  Chemosh  the  abomination  of 
the  Moabites,  and  for  Milcom  the  abomination 
of  the  children  of  Amnion,  did  the  king  defile. 
And  he  brake  in  pieces  the  images,  and  cut  down 
the  groves,  and  filled  their  places  with  the  bones 
of  men. 

Moreover  the  altar  ^  that  was  at  Bcth-el,  and 
the  high  place  which  Jeroboam  the  son  of  Nebat, 
who  made  Israel  to  sin,  had  made,  both  that  altar 
and  the  high  place  he  brake  down,  and  burned  the 
high  place,  and  stamped  it  small  to  powder,  and 
burned  the  grove. 

And  as  Josiah  turned  himself,  he  spied  the 
sepulchres  that  were  there  in  the  mount,  and 
sent,  and  took  the  bones  out  of  the  sepulchres, 
and  burned  them  upon  the  altar,  and  polluted  it, 
according  to  the  word  of  the  Lord  which  the  man 
of  God  proclaimed,  who  proclaimed  these  words. 

Then  he  said,  "What  title  is  that  that  I  see.'*" 
And  the  men  of  the  city  told  him,  "It  is  the 
sepulchre  of  the  man  of  God,  which  came  from 

1  See  page  309. 


THE   IDOLS'  GROVES   DESTROYED    375 

Judah,  and  proclaimed  these  things  that  thou 
hast  done  against  the  altar  of  Beth-el."  And  he 
said,  "  Let  him  alone;  let  no  man  move  his  bones." 
So  they  let  his  bones  alone,  with  the  bones  of  the 
prophet  that  came  out  of  Samaria. 

And  all  the  houses  also  of  the  high  places  that 
were  in  the  cities  of  Samaria,  which  the  kings  of 
Israel  had  made  to  provoke  the  Lord  to  anger, 
Josiah  took  away,  and  did  to  them  according  to 
all  the  acts  that  he  had  done  in  Beth-el.  And  he 
slew  all  the  priests  of  the  high  places  that  were 
there  upon  the  altars,  and  burned  men's  bones 
upon  them,  and.  returned  to  Jerusalem. 

And  the  king  commanded  all  the  people,  saying, 
"Keep  the  passover  unto  the  Lord  your  God,  as 
it  is  written  in  the  book  of  this  covenant." 

Surely  there  was  not  holden  such  a  passover 
from  the  days  of  the  judges  that  judged  Israel,  nor 
in  all  the  days  of  the  kings  of  Israel,  nor  of  the 
kings  of  Judah;  but  in  the  eighteenth  year  of 
king  Josiah,  wherein  this  passover  was  holden 
to  the  Lord  in  Jerusalem. 

Moreover  the  workers  with  familiar  spirits,  and 
the  wizards,  and  the  images,  and  the  idols,  and 
all  the  abominations  that  were  spied  in  the  land 
of  Judah  and  in  Jerusalem,  did  Josiah  put  away, 
that  he  might  perform  the  words  of  the  law  which 
were  written  in  the  book  that  Hilkiah  the  priest 
found  in  the  house  of  the  Lord. 


376  BIBLE   STORIES 

And  like  unto  him  was  there  no  king  before  him, 
that  turned  to  the  Lord  with  all  his  heart,  and 
with  all  his  soul,  and  with  all  his  might,  accord- 
ing to  all  the  law  of  Moses;  neither  after  him  arose 
there  any  like  him. 

Notwithstanding  the  Lord  turned  not  from 
the  fierceness  of  his  great  wrath,  wherewith  his 
anger  was  kindled  against  Judah,  because  of  all 
the  provocations  that  Manasseh  had  provoked 
him  withal.  And  the  Lord  said,  "I  will  remove 
Judah  also  out  of  my  sight,  as  I  have  removed 
Israel,  and  will  cast  off  this  city  Jerusalem  which 
I  have  chosen,  and  the  house  of  which  I  said,  'My 
name  shall  be  there.'"  • 

After  all  this,  when  Josiah  had  prepared  the 
temple,  Necho  king  of  Egypt  came  up  to  fight 
against  Charchemish  by  Euphrates:  and  Josiah 
went  out  against  him.  But  he  sent  ambassadors 
to  him,  saying,  "What  have  I  to  do  with  thee, 
thou  king  of  Judah.''  I  come  not  against  thee  this 
day,  but  against  the  house  wherewith  I  have  war: 
for  God  commanded  me  to  make  haste.  Forbear 
thee  from  meddling  with  God,  who  is  with  me, 
that  he  destroy  thee  not." 

Nevertheless  Josiah  would  not  turn  his  face 
from  him,  but  disguised  himself,  that  he  might 
fight  with  him,  and  hearkened  not  unto  the 
words  of  Necho  from  the  mouth  of  God,  and 
came  to  fight  in  the  valley  of  Megiddo.    And 


THE   PUNISHMENT  OF  JUDAH    377 

the  archers  shot  at  king  Josiah;  and  the  king  said 
to  his  servants,  "Have  me  away;  for  I  am  sore 
wounded." 

His  servants  therefore  took  him  out  of  that 
chariot,  and  put  him  in  the  second  chariot  that 
he  had;  and  they  brought  him  to  Jerusalem,  and 
he  died,  and  was  buried  in  one  of  the  sepulchres 
of  his  fathers.  And  all  Judah  and  Jerusalem 
mourned  for  Josiah. 

And  Jeremiah  lamented  for  Josiah.  And  all  the 
singing  men  and  the  singing  women  spake  of  Jo- 
siah in  their  lamentations  to  this  day,  and  made 
them  an  ordinance  in  Israel;  and,  behold,  they 
are  written  in  the  lamentations. 

Now  the  rest  of  the  acts  of  Josiah,  and  his  good- 
ness, according  to  that  which  was  written  in  the 
law  of  the  Lord,  and  his  deeds,  first  and  last,  be- 
hold, they  are  written  in  the  book  of  the  kings  of 
Israel  and  Judah. 

2  Kings,  23;  2  Chronicles,  35 

HOW  THE  LORD   INTENDED   TO 
PUNISH  JUDAH  FOR  IDOLATRY 

The  word  that  came  to  Jeremiah  concerning 
all  the  people  of  Judah  in  the  fourth  j-carof  Jolioia- 
kim  the  son  of  Josiah  king  of  Judah,  that  was  the 
first  year  of  Nebuchadnezzar  king  of  Babylon; 
the  which  Jeremiah  the  i)rophot  spake  unto  all 


378  BIBLE   STORIES 

the  people  of  Judah,  and  to  all  the  inhabitants  of 
Jerusalem,  saying:  — 

"From  the  thirteenth  year  of  Josiah  the  son  of 
Amon  king  of  Judah,  even  unto  this  day,  that  is 
the  three  and  twentieth  year,  the  word  of  the 
Lord  hath  come  unto  me,  and  I  have  spoken 
unto  you,  rising  early  and  speaking;  but  ye  have 
not  hearkened, 

"And  the  Lord  hath  sent  unto  you  all  his  ser- 
vants the  prophets,  rising  early  and  sending  them; 
but  ye  have  not  hearkened,  nor  inclined  your  ear 
to  hear.  They  said,  'Turn  ye  again  now  every 
one  from  his  evil  way,  and  from  the  evil  of  your 
doings,  and  dwell  in  the  land  that  the  Lord  hath 
given  unto  you  and  to  your  fathers  for  ever  and 
ever.  And  go  not  after  other  gods  to  serve  them, 
and  to  worship  them,  and  provoke  me  not  to  anger 
with  the  works  of  your  hands;  and  I  will  do  you 
no  hurt.  Yet  ye  have  not  hearkened  unto  me,' 
saith  the  Lord;  'that  ye  might  provoke  me  to 
anger  with  the  works  of  your  hands  to  your  own 
hurt.' 

"Therefore  thus  saith  the  Lord  of  hosts;  'Be- 
cause ye  have  not  heard  my  words,  behold,  I  will 
send  and  take  all  the  families  of  the  north,'  saith 
the  Lord, '  and  Nebuchadnezzar  the  king  of  Baby- 
lon, my  servant,  and  will  bring  them  against  this 
land,  and  against  the  inhabitants  thereof,  and 
against  all  these  nations  round  about,  and  will 


THE   PUNISHMENT  OF  JUDAH    379 

utterly  destroy  them,  and  make  them  an  astonish- 
ment, and  an  hissing,  and  perpetual  desolations. 

"'Moreover  I  will  take  from  them  the  voice  of 
mirth,  and  the  voice  of  gladness,  the  voice  of  the 
bridegroom,  and  the  voice  of  the  bride,  the  sound 
of  the  millstones,  and  the  light  of  the  candle.  And 
this  whole  land  shall  be  a  desolation,  and  an  as- 
tonishment; and  these  nations  shall  serve  the 
king  of  Babylon  seventy  years. 

" '  And  it  shall  come  to  pass,  when  seventy  years 
are  accomplished,  that  I  will  punish  the  king  of 
Babylon,  and  that  nation,'  saith  the  Lord,  'for 
their  iniquity,  and  the  land  of  the  Chaldeans,  and 
will  make  it  perpetual  desolations.  And  I  will 
bring  upon  that  land  all  my  words  which  I  have 
pronounced  against  it,  even  all  that  is  written  in 
this  book,  which  Jeremiah  hath  prophesied  against 
all  the  nations.  For  many  nations  and  great  kings 
shall  serve  themselves  of  them  also:  and  I  will 
recompense  them  according  to  their  deeds,  and 
according  to  the  works  of  their  own  hands.'" 

Jeremiah,  25 

Interesting  stories  ahovt  the  Prophet  Jeremiah  are  "How  as 
a  Child  lie  Was  Called  to  Be  a  Prophet,"  Jeremiah,  chap.  1; 
"How  Jeremiah  teas  Put  in  the  Stories,"  Jeremiah,  chaps.  19 
and  20;  "  The  Tiro  Bajikeis  of  Figs,"  Jeremiah,  chap.  24;  "  The 
I'olce  of  Wood  and  the  Yohe  of  Iron,"  Jeremiah,  chaps.  27  and 
2S:  "The  Rerhabites,"  Jeremiah,  chap.  35:  "Jeremiah  Cast 
info  the  Dnngeon,"  Jeremiah,  chap.  SS,  "The  Doom  of  Hahi/- 
lon,"  Jeremiah,  chaps.  50  and  51.  Read  also  "  llow  Xehurhod- 
nezzar  Became  Ruler  over  Jerusalem,"  2  Kings,  chap.  2^ 


380  BIBLE  STORIES 

HOW  THE  PEOPLE  OF  JUDAH  WERE 
CARRIED   CAPTIVES  TO  BABYLON 

And  the  king  of  Babylon  made  Mattaniah  king 
of  Judah,  and  changed  his  name  to  Zedekiah. 
Zedekiah  was  twenty  and  one  years  old  when  he 
began  to  reign,  and  he  reigned  eleven  years  in 
Jerusalem.  And  he  did  that  which  was  evil  in  the 
sight  of  the  Lord.  For  through  the  anger  of  the 
Lord  it  came  to  pass  in  Jerusalem  and  Judah, 
until  he  had  cast  them  out  from  his  presence,  that 
Zedekiah  rebelled  against  the  king  of  Babylon, 

In  the  ninth  year  of  Zedekiah  king  of  Judah,  in 
the  tenth  month,  came  Nebuchadnezzar  king  of 
Babylon  and  all  his  army  against  Jerusalem,  and 
they  besieged  it.  And  in  the  eleventh  year  of  Zede- 
kiah, in  the  fourth  month,  the  ninth  day  of  the 
month,  the  city  was  broken  up. 

And  all  the  j)rinces  of  the  king  of  Babylon 
came  in,  and  sat  in  the  middle  gate.  And  it  came 
to  pass,  that  when  Zedekiah  the  king  of  Judah 
saw  them,  and  all  the  men  of  war,  then  they  fled, 
and  went  forth  out  of  the  city  by  night,  by  the 
way  of  the  king's  garden,  by  the  gate  betwixt  the 
two  walls:  and  he  went  out  the  way  of  the  plain. 

But  the  Chaldeans'  army  pursued  after  them, 
and  overtook  Zedekiah  in  the  plains  of  Jericho. 
And  when  they  had  taken  him,  they  brought  him 
up  to  Nebuchadnezzar  king  of  Babylon  to  Riblah 


CAPTIVITY  OF  THE  JUD^ANS    381 

in  the  land  of  Hamatli,  where  he  gave  judgment 
upon  him. 

Then  the  king  of  Babylon  slew  the  sons  of  Zede- 
kiah  in  Riblah  before  his  eyes:  also  the  king  of 
Babylon  slew  all  the  nobles  of  Judah.  Moreover 
he  put  out  Zedekiah's  eyes,  and  bound  him  with 
chains,  to  carry  him  to  Babylon.  And  the  Chal- 
deans burned  the  king's  house,  and  the  houses  of 
the  people,  with  fire,  and  brake  down  the  walls  of 
Jerusalem. 

Then  Nebuzar-adan  the  captain  of  the  guard 
carried  away  captive  into  Babylon  the  remnant 
of  the  people  that  remained  in  the  city,  and  those 
that  fell  away,  that  fell  to  him,  with  the  rest  of 
the  people  that  remained. 

But  Nebuzar-adan  the  captain  of  the  guard 
left  of  the  poor  of  the  people,  which  had  nothing, 
in  the  land  of  Judah,  and  gave  them  vineyards 
and  fields  at  the  same  time. 

And  as  for  the  people  that  remained  in  the  land 
of  Judah,  whom  Nebuchadnezzar  king  of  Babylon 
had  left,  even  over  them  he  made  Gedaliah  the 
son  of  Ahikam,  the  son  of  Shaphan,  ruler.    . 

Now  Nebuchadnezzar  king  of  Babylon  gave 
charge  concerning  Jeremiah  to  Nebuzar-adan  the 
captain  of  the  guard,  saying,  "Take  him,  and  look 
well  to  him,  and  do  him  no  harm;  but  do  unto  him 
even  as  he  shall  say  unto  thee." 

So  Nebuzar-adan  the  cai)lain  of  the  guard  sent, 


382  BIBLE  STORIES 

and  all  the  king  of  Babylon's  princes;  even  they 
sent,  and  took  Jeremiah  out  of  the  court  of  the 
prison,  and  committed  him  unto  Gedaliah  the 
son  of  Ahikam  the  son  of  Shaphan,  that  he  should 
carry  him  home:  so  he  dwelt  among  the  people. 
So  Judali  was  carried  away  out  of  their  land. 
Jeremiah,  39;  2  Kings,  24,  25 

Read  also  "How  the  King's  Daughters  and  the  People  Left 
in  Judah  Disobeyed  the  Lord  and  Went  Down  into  Egypt," 
Jeremiah,  chap.  4S;  and  "IIoio  They  Burned  Incense  to  the 
Queen  of  Heaven,"  Jeremiah,  chap.  ^4 


ffhrB%ktianffiipMta 


By  the  rivers  of  Babylon,  there  we  sat  down,  yea,  we  wept, 
when  we  remembered  Zion. 

We  hanged  our  harps  zipon  the  willows  in  the  midst  thereof. 

For  there  they  that  carried  vs  away  captive  required  of  us  a 
song;  and  they  that  wasted  us  required  of  us  mirth,  saying, 
*'  Sing  us  one  of  the  songs  of  Zion." 

How  shall  we  sing  the  Lord's  song  in  a  strange  land  ? 

If  I  forget  thee,  0  Jerusalem,  let  my  right  hand  forget  her 
cunning. 

If  I  do  not  remember  thee,  let  my  tongue  cleave  to  the  roof  of 
my  mouth;  if  I  prefer  not  Jerusalem  above  my  chief  joy. 

PsALiM  137 


THE  FOUR  WISE  YOUTHS 

N  the  third  year  of  the  reign  of  Jehoiakim 
king  of  Judah  came  Nebuchadnezzar  king  of 
Babylon  unto  Jerusalem,  and  besieged  it. 
And  the  Lord  gave  Jehoiakim  king  of  Judah 
into  his  hand,  with  part  of  the  vessels  of  the 
house  of  God:  which  he  carried  into  the  land 
of  Shinar  to  the  house  of  his  god;  and  he  brought 
the  vessels  into  the  treasure  house  of  his  god. 

And  the  king  spake  unto  Ashpenaz  the  master 
of  his  eunuchs,  that  he  should  bring  certain  of  the 
children  of  Israel,  and  of  the  king's  seed,  and  of 
the  princes;  youths  in  whom  was  no  blemish,  but 
well  favoured,  and  skilful  in  all  wisdom,  and  cun- 
ning in  knowledge,  and  understanding  science, 
and  such  as  had  ability  in  them  to  stand  in  the 
king's  palace,  and  whom  they  might  teach  the 
learning  and  the  tongue  of  the  Chaldeans. 

And  the  king  appointed  them  a  daily  provision 
of  the  king's  meat,  and  of  the  wine  which  he 
drank:  so  nourishing  them  three  years,  that  at 
the  end  thereof  they  might  stand  before  the  king. 
Now  among  these  were  of  the  children  of  Judah, 
Daniel,  Hananiah,  INIishael,  and  Azariah.  I^nto 
whom  the  prince  of  the  eunuchs  gave  names:  ft)r 
he  gave  unto  Daniel  the  name  of  Belteshazzar; 


386  BIBLE  STORIES 

and  to  Hananiah,  of  Shadrach;  and  to  Mishael,  of 
Meshach;  and  to  Azariah,  of  Abed-nego. 

But  Daniel  purposed  in  his  heart  that  he  would 
not  defile  himself  with  the  portion  of  the  king's 
meat,  nor  with  the  wine  which  he  drank.  There- 
fore he  requested  of  the  prince  of  the  eunuchs  that 
he  might  not  defile  himself.  Now  God  had  brought 
Daniel  into  favour  and  tender  love  with  the 
prince  of  the  eunuchs.  And  the  prince  of  the  eu- 
nuchs said  unto  Daniel,  "I  fear  my  lord  the  king, 
who  hath  appointed  your  meat  and  your  drink. 
For  why  should  he  see  your  faces  worse  liking 
than  the  youths  which  are  of  your  sort?  then 
shall  ye  make  me  endanger  my  head  to  the  king." 

Then  said  Daniel  to  Melzar,  whom  the  prince 
of  the  eunuchs  had  set  over  Daniel,  Hananiah, 
Mishael,  and  Azariah,  "Prove  thy  servants,  I 
beseech  thee,  ten  days;  and  let  them  give  us  pulse 
to  eat,  and  water  to  drink.  Then  let  our  counte- 
nances be  looked  upon  before  thee,  and  the 
countenance  of  the  youths  that  eat  of  the  portion 
of  the  king's  meat.  And  as  thou  seest,  deal  with 
thy  servants." 

So  he  consented  to  them  in  this  matter,  and 
proved  them  ten  days. 

And  at  the  end  of  ten  days  their  coimtenances 
appeared  fairer  and  falter  in  flesh  than  all  the 
youths  which  did  eat  the  i)ortion  of  the  king's 
meat.  Thus  Melzar  took  away  the  portion  of  their 


THE   TERRIBLE   IMAGE  387 

meat,  and  the  wine  that  they  should  drink;  and 
gave  them  pulse. 

As  for  these  four  youths  God  gave  them  know- 
ledge and  skill  in  all  learning  and  wisdom:  and 
Daniel  had  understanding  in  all  visions  and 
dreams. 

Now  at  the  end  of  the  daj's  that  the  king  had 
said  he  should  bring  them  in,  then  the  prince  of 
the  eunuchs  brought  them  in  before  Nebuchad- 
nezzar. And  the  king  communed  with  them;  and 
among  them  all  was  found  none  like  Daniel, 
Hananiah,  Mishael,  and  Azariah:  therefore  stood 
they  before  the  king.  And  in  all  matters  of  wisdom 
and  understanding,  that  the  king  enquired  of 
them,  he  found  them  ten  times  better  than  all 
the  magicians  and  astrologers  that  were  in  all  his 
realm. 

And  Daniel  continued  even  unto  the  first  year 
of  king  Cyrus. 

Daniel,  1 

THE  GREAT  AND  TERRIBLE  IMAGE 

And  in  the  second  year  of  the  reign  of  Nebu- 
chadnezzar Nebuchadnezzar  dreamed  dreams, 
wherewith  his  spirit  was  troubled,  and  his  sleep 
brake  from  him. 

Then  the  king  commanded  to  call  the  magi- 
cians, and  the  astrologers,  and  the  sorcerers,  and 


388  BIBLE   STORIES 

the  Chaldeans,  for  to  shew  the  king  his  dreams. 
So  they  came  and  stood  before  the  king. 

And  the  king  said  unto  them,  "I  have  dreamed 
a  dream,  and  my  spirit  was  troubled  to  know  the 
dream." 

Then  spake  the  Chaldeans  to  the  king  in  the 
Syrian  language,  "O  king,  live  for  ever.  Tell  thy 
servants  the  dream,  and  we  will  shew  the  inter- 
pretation." 

The  king  answered  and  said  to  the  Chaldeans, 
"The  thing  is  gone  from  me.  If  ye  will  not  make 
known  unto  me  the  dream,  with  the  interpretation 
thereof,  ye  shall  be  cut  in  pieces,  and  your  houses 
shall  be  made  a  dunghill.  But  if  ye  shew  the 
dream,  and  the  interpretation  thereof,  ye  shall 
receive  of  me  gifts  and  rewards  and  great  honour. 
Therefore  shew  me  the  dream,  and  the  inter- 
pretation thereof." 

They  answered  again  and  said,  "Let  the  king 
tell  his  servants  the  dream,  and  we  will  shew  the 
interpretation  of  it." 

The  king  answered  and  said,  "I  know  of  cer- 
tainty that  ye  would  gain  the  time,  because  ye  see 
the  thing  is  gone  from  me.  But  if  ye  will  not  make 
known  unto  me  the  dream,  there  is  but  one  decree 
for  you:  for  ye  have  prepared  lying  and  corrupt 
words  to  speak  before  me,  till  the  time  be  changed. 
Therefore  tell  me  the  dream,  and  I  shall  know  that 
ye  can  shew  me  the  interpretation  thereof." 


THE   TERRIBLE   IMAGE  389 

The  Chaldeans  answered  before  the  king,  and 
said,  "There  is  not  a  man  upon  the  earth  that  can 
shew  the  king's  matter.  Therefore  there  is  no 
king,  lord,  nor  ruler,  that  asked  such  things  at  any 
magician,  or  astrologer,  or  Chaldean.  And  it  is  a 
rare  thing  that  the  king  requireth,  and  there  is 
none  other  that  can  shew  it  before  the  king,  ex- 
cept the  gods,  whose  dwelling  is  not  with  flesh." 

For  this  cause  the  king  was  angry  and  very 
furious,  and  commanded  to  destroy  all  the  wise 
men  of  Babylon.  And  the  decree  went  forth  that 
the  wise  men  should  be  slain;  and  they  sought 
Daniel  and  his  fellows  to  be  slain. 

Then  Daniel  answered  with  counsel  and  wisdom 
to  Arioch  the  captain  of  the  king's  guard,  which 
was  gone  forth  to  slay  the  wise  men  of  Babylon. 
He  answered  and  said  to  Arioch  the  king's  cap- 
tain, "AVhy  is  the  decree  so  hasty  from  the  king.'^ " 
Then  Arioch  made  the  thing  known  to  Daniel. 

Then  Daniel  went  in,  and  desired  of  the  king 
that  he  would  give  him  time,  and  that  he  would 
shew  the  king  the  interpretation. 

Then  Daniel  went  to  his  house,  and  made  the 
thing  known  to  Hananiah,  Mishael,  and  Azariah, 
his  companions :  that  they  would  desire  mercies  of 
the  God  of  heaven  concerning  this  secret;  that 
Daniel  and  his  fellows  should  not  perish  with  the 
rest  of  the  wise  men  of  Babylon. 

Then  was  the  secret  revealed  unto  Daniel  in  a 


390  BIBLE  STORIES 

night  vision.  Then  Daniel  blessed  the  God  of 
heaven.  Daniel  answered  and  said,  "Blessed  be 
the  name  of  God  for  ever  and  ever:  for  wisdom 
and  might  are  his.  And  he  changeth  the  times 
and  the  seasons.  He  removeth  kings,  and  setteth 
up  kings.  He  giveth  wisdom  unto  the  wise,  and 
knowledge  to  them  that  know  understanding. 
He  revealeth  the  deep  and  secret  things.  He 
knoweth  what  is  in  the  darkness,  and  the  light 
dwelleth  with  him.  I  thank  thee,  and  praise  thee, 
O  thou  God  of  my  fathers,  who  hast  given  me 
wisdom  and  might,  and  hast  made  known  unto 
me  now  what  we  desired  of  thee:  for  thou  hast 
now  made  known  unto  us  the  king's  matter." 

Therefore  Daniel  went  in  unto  Arioch,  whom 
the  king  had  ordained  to  destroy  the  wise  men  of 
Babylon.  He  went  and  said  thus  imto  him;  "De- 
stroy not  the  wise  men  of  Babylon.  Bring  me  in 
before  the  king,  and  I  will  shew  unto  the  king  the 
interpretation." 

Then  Arioch  brought  in  Daniel  before  the  king 
in  haste,  and  said  thus  unto  him,  "I  have  found 
a  man  of  the  captives  of  Judah,  that  will  make 
known  unto  the  king  the  interpretation." 

The  king  answered  and  said  to  Daniel,  whose 
name  was  Belteshazzar,  "Art  thou  able  to  make 
known  unto  me  the  dream  which  I  have  seen,  and 
the  interpretation  thereof?" 

Daniel  answered  in  the  presence  of  the  king, 


THE   TERRIBLE   IISLIGE  391 

and  said,  "The  secret  which  the  king  hath  de- 
manded cannot  the  wise  men,  the  astrologers,  the 
magicians,  the  soothsayers,  shew  unto  the  king. 
But  there  is  a  God  in  heaven  that  revealeth  secrets, 
and  maketh  known  to  the  king  Nebuchadnezzar 
what  shall  be  in  the  latter  days.  Thy  dream,  and 
the  visions  of  thy  head  upon  thy  bed,  are  these :  — 

"As  for  thee,  O  king,  thy  thoughts  came  into 
thy  mind  upon  thy  bed,  what  should  come  to  pass 
hereafter:  and  he  that  revealeth  secrets  maketh 
known  to  thee  what  shall  come  to  pass.  But  as  for 
me,  this  secret  is  not  revealed  to  me  for  any  wisdom 
that  I  have  more  than  any  living,  but  for  their 
sakes  that  shall  make  known  the  interpretation 
to  the  king,  and  that  thou  mightest  know  the 
thoughts  of  thy  heart. 

"Thou,  O  king,  sawest,  and  behold  a  great 
image.  This  great  image,  whose  brightness  was 
excellent,  stood  before  thee;  and  the  form  thereof 
was  terrible.  This  image's  head  was  of  fine  gold, 
his  breast  and  his  arms  of  silver,  his  belly  and  his 
thighs  of  brass,  his  legs  of  iron,  his  feet  part  of 
iron  and  part  of  clay.  Thou  sawest  till  that  a  stone 
was  cut  out  without  hands,  which  smote  the 
image  upon  his  feet  that  were  of  iron  and  clay, 
and  brake  them  to  pieces.  Then  was  the  iron,  the 
cla\%  the  brass,  the  silver,  and  the  gold,  broken  to 
pieces  together,  and  became  like  the  cliafi  of  the 
sununer   thrcshingfloors;    and   the   wind   carried 


392  BIBLE  STORIES 

them  away,  that  no  place  was  found  for  them. 
And  the  stone  that  smote  the  image  became  a 
great  mountain,  and  filled  the  whole  earth. 

"This  is  the  dream;  and  we  will  tell  the  inter- 
pretation thereof  before  the  king.  Thou,  O  king, 
art  a  king  of  kings:  for  the  God  of  heaven  hath 
given  thee  a  kingdom,  power,  and  strength,  and 
glory.  And  wheresoever  the  children  of  men  dwell, 
the  beasts  of  the  field  and  the  fowls  of  the  heaven 
hath  he  given  into  thine  hand,  and  hath  made  thee 
ruler  over  them  all.  Thou  art  this  head  of  gold. 

"And  after  thee  shall  arise  another  kingdom, 
inferior  to  thee,  and  another  third  kingdom  of 
brass,  which  shall  bear  rule  over  all  the  earth. 

"And  the  fourth  kingdom  shall  be  strong  as 
iron.  Forasmuch  as  iron  breaketh  in  pieces  and 
subdueth  all  things:  and  as  iron  that  breaketh 
all  these,  shall  it  break  in  pieces  and  bruise. 

"And  whereas  thou  sawest  the  feet  and  toes, 
part  of  potters'  clay,  and  part  of  iron,  the  kingdom 
shall  l)e  divided;  but  there  shall  be  in  it  of  the 
strength  of  the  iron,  forasmuch  as  thou  sawest  the 
iron  mixed  with  miry  clay.  And  as  the  toes  of 
the  feet  were  i)art  of  iron,  and  j)art  of  clay,  so  the 
kingdom  shall  be  partly  strong,  and  partl}^  broken. 
And  whereas  thou  sawest  iron  mixed  with  miry 
clay,  they  shall  mingle  themselves  with  the  seed 
of  men:  but  they  shall  not  cleave  one  to  another, 
even  as  iron  is  not  mixed  with  clay. 


THE   TERRIBLE  IMAGE  393 

"And  in  the  days  of  these  kings  shall  the  God 
of  heaven  set  up  a  kingdom,  which  shall  never  be 
destroyed.  And  the  kingdom  shall  not  be  left  to 
other  people,  but  it  shall  break  in  pieces  and  con- 
sume all  these  kingdoms,  and  it  shall  stand  for 
ever.  Forasmuch  as  thou  sawest  that  the  stone 
was  cut  out  of  the  mountain  without  hands,  and 
that  it  brake  in  pieces  the  iron,  the  brass,  the 
clay,  the  silver,  and  the  gold;  the  great  God  hath 
made  known  to  the  king  what  shall  come  to  pass 
hereafter:  and  the  dream  is  certain,  and  the  inter- 
pretation thereof  sure." 

Then  the  king  Nebuchadnezzar  fell  upon  his 
face,  and  worshipped  Daniel,  and  commanded 
that  they  should  offer  an  oblation  and  sweet 
odours  unto  him. 

The  king  answered  unto  Daniel,  and  said,  "Of 
a  truth  it  is,  that  your  God  is  a  God  of  gods,  and 
a  Lord  of  kings,  and  a  revealer  of  secrets,  seeing 
thou  couldest  reveal  this  secret."  Then  the  king 
made  Daniel  a  great  man,  and  gave  him  many 
great  gifts,  and  made  him  ruler  over  the  whole 
province  of  Babylon,  and  chief  of  the  governors 
over  all  the  wise  men  of  Babylon. 

Then  Daniel  requested  of  the  king,  and  he  set 
Shadrach,  Meshach,  and  Abcd-nego,  over  the 
affairs  of  the  provin('(^  of  Babylon:  but  Daniel  sat 
in  the  gate  of  the  king. 

Daniel,  'Z 


394  BIBLE   STORIES 

THE  BURNING  FIERY  FURNACE 

Nebuchadnezzar  the  king  made  an  image  of 
gold,  whose  height  was  threescore  cubits,  and  the 
breadth  thereof  six  cubits.  He  set  it  up  in  the 
plain  of  Dura,  in  the  province  of  Babylon. 

Then  Nebuchadnezzar  the  king  sent  to  gather 
together  the  princes,  the  governors,  and  the  cap- 
tains, the  judges,  the  treasurers,  the  counsellors, 
the  sheriffs,  and  all  the  rulers  of  the  provinces,  to 
come  to  the  dedication  of  the  image  which  Nebu- 
chadnezzar the  king  had  set  up.  Then  the  princes, 
the  governors,  and  captains,  the  judges,  the  treas- 
urers, the  counsellors,  the  sheriffs,  and  all  the 
rulers  of  the  provinces,  were  gathered  together 
unto  the  dedication  of  the  image  that  Nebuchad- 
nezzar the  king  had  set  up;  and  they  stood  before 
the  image  that  Nebuchadnezzar  had  set  up. 

Then  an  herald  cried  aloud,  "To  you  it  is  com- 
manded, O  people,  nations,  and  languages,  that 
at  what  time  ye  hear  the  sound  of  the  cornet, 
flute,  harp,  sackbut,  psaltery,  dulcimer,  and  all 
kinds  of  music,  ye  fall  down  and  worship  the 
golden  image  that  Nebuchadnezzar  the  king  hath 
set  up.  And  whoso  falleth  not  down  and  wor- 
shippeth  shall  the  same  hour  be  cast  into  the 
midst  of  a  burning  fiery  furnace." 

Therefore  at  that  time,  when  all  the  people 
heard  the  sound  of  the  cornet,  flute,  harp,  sack- 


THE  BURNING   FIERY  FURNACE    395 

but,  psaltery,  and  all  kinds  of  music,  all  the  peo- 
ple, the  nations,  and  the  languages,  fell  do\vn  and 
worshipped  the  golden  image  that  Nebuchadnez- 
zar the  king  had  set  up. 

Wherefore  at  that  time  certain  Chaldeans  came 
near,  and  accused  the  Jews.  They  spake  and  said 
to  the  king  Nebuchadnezzar,  "O  king,  live  for 
ever.  Thou,  O  king,  hast  made  a  decree,  that 
every  man  that  shall  hear  the  sound  of  the  cornet, 
flute,  harp,  sackbut,  psaltery,  and  dulcimer,  and 
all  kinds  of  music,  shall  fall  down  and  worship  the 
golden  image:  and  whoso  falleth  not  down  and 
worshippeth,  that  he  should  be  cast  into  the 
midst  of  a  burning  fiery  furnace.  There  are  cer- 
tain Jews  whom  thou  hast  set  over  the  affairs  of 
the  province  of  Babylon,  Shadrach,  Meshach,  and 
Abed-nego;  these  men,  O  king,  have  not  re- 
garded thee.  They  serve  not  thy  gods,  nor  wor- 
ship the  golden  image  which  thou  hast  set  up." 

Then  Nebuchadnezzar  in  his  rage  and  fury 
commanded  to  bring  Shadrach,  Meshach,  and 
Abfed-ncgo.  Then  they  brought  these  men  before 
the  king. 

Nebuchadnezzar  spake  and  said  unto  them,  "Is 
it  true,  O  Shadrach,  ]\[eshach,  and  Abed-ncgo, 
do  not  5^e  serve  my  gods  nor  worship  the  golden 
image  which  I  have  set  up.'*  Now  if  ye  be  ready 
that  at  what  time  ye  hear  the  sound  of  the  cornet, 
flute,  harp,  sackbut,  psaltery,  and  dulcimer,  and 


396  BIBLE   STORIES 

all  kinds  of  music,  ye  fall  down  and  worship  the 
image  which  I  have  made;  well.  But  if  ye  worship 
not,  ye  shall  be  cast  the  same  hour  into  the  midst 
of  a  burning  fiery  furnace;  and  who  is  that  God 
that  shall  deliver  you  out  of  my  hands?" 

Shadrach,  Meshach,  and  Abed-nego,  answered 
and  said  to  the  king,  "O  Nebuchadnezzar,  we  are 
not  careful  to  answer  thee  in  this  matter.  If  it  be 
so,  our  God  whom  we  serve  is  able  to  deliver  us 
from  the  burning  fiery  furnace,  and  he  will  deliver 
us  out  of  thine  hand,  O  king.  But  if  not,  be  it 
known  unto  thee,  O  king,  that  we  will  not  serve 
thy  gods,  nor  worship  the  golden  image  which 
thou  hast  set  up." 

Then  was  Nebuchadnezzar  full  of  fury,  and  the 
form  of  his  visage  was  changed  against  Shadrach, 
Meshach,  and  Abed-nego:  therefore  he  spake,  and 
commanded  that  they  should  heat  the  furnace 
one  seven  times  more  than  it  was  wont  to  be  heated. 
And  he  commanded  the  most  mighty  men  that 
were  in  his  army  to  bind  Shadrach,  Meshach,  and 
Abed-nego,  and  to  cast  them  into  the  burning 
fiery  furnace. 

Then  these  men  were  bound  in  their  mantles, 
their  under-garments,  and  their  turbans,  and 
their  other  garments,  and  were  cast  into  the 
midst  of  the  burning  fiery  furnace.  Therefore  be- 
cause the  king's  commandment  was  urgent,  and 
the  furnace  exceeding  hot,  the  flame  of  the  fire 


THE   BURNING  FIERY   FURNACE    397 

slew  those  men  that  took  up  Shadraeh,  Meshach, 
and  Abed-nego.  And  these  three  men,  Shadraeh, 
Meshach,  and  Abed-nego,  fell  down  bound  into 
the  midst  of  the  burning  fiery  furnace. 

Then  Nebuchadnezzar  the  king  was  astonied, 
and  rose  up  in  haste,  and  spake,  and  said  unto 
his  counsellors,  "Did  not  we  cast  three  men  bound 
into  the  midst  of  the  fire?  "  They  answered  and 
said  unto  the  king,  "  True,  O  king."  He  answered 
and  said,  "Lo,  I  see  four  men  loose,  walking  in  the 
midst  of  the  fire,  and  they  have  no  hurt;  and  the 
form  of  the  fourth  is  like  a  son  of  the  gods." 

Then  Nebuchadnezzar  came  near  to  the  mouth 
of  the  burning  fiery  furnace,  and  spake,  and  said, 
"Shadraeh,  Meshach,  and  Abed-nego,  ye  servants 
of  the  most  high  God,  come  forth,  and  come 
hither."  Then  Shadraeh,  Meshach,  and  Abed- 
nego,  came  forth  of  the  midst  of  the  fire.  And 
the  princes,  governors,  and  captains,  and  the 
king's  counsellors,  being  gathered  together,  saw 
these  men,  upon  whose  bodies  the  fire  had  no 
power,  nor  was  an  hair  of  their  head  singed, 
neither  were  their  coats  changed,  nor  the  smell 
of  fire  had  passed  on  them. 

Then  Nebuchadnezzar  spake,  and  said,  "Blessed 
be  the  God  of  Shadraeh,  Meshach,  and  Abed- 
nego,  who  hath  sent  his  angel,  and  delivered  his 
servants  that  trusted  in  him,  and  have  changed 
the  king's  word,  and  yielded  their  bodies,  that 


398  BIBLE  STORIES 

they  might  not  serve  nor  worship  any  god,  except 
their  own  God.  Therefore  I  make  a  decree,  that 
every  people,  nation,  and  language,  which  speak 
anything  amiss  against  the  God  of  Shadrach, 
Meshach,  and  Abed-nego,  shall  be  cut  in  pieces, 
and  their  houses  shall  be  made  a  dunghill :  because 
there  is  no  other  God  that  can  deliver  after  this 
sort." 

Then  the  king  promoted  Shadrach,  Meshach, 
and  Abed-nego,  in  the  province  of  Babylon, 

Daniel,  3 

THE  PROUD  KING,  WHOSE  HEART 
WAS  LIFTED  UP 

Nebuchadnezzar  the  king,  unto  all  people, 
nations,  and  languages,  that  dwell  in  all  the  earth; 
"  Peace  be  multiplied  unto  you :  — 

"I  thought  it  good  to  shew  the  signs  and  won- 
ders that  the  high  God  hath  wrought  toward  me. 
How  great  are  his  signs!  and  how  mighty  are  his 
wonders!  his  kingdom  is  an  everlasting  kingdom, 
and  his  dominion  is  from  generation  to  generation. 

"  I  Nebuchadnezzar  was  at  rest  in  mine  house, 
and  flourishing  in  my  palace.  I  saw  a  dream  which 
made  me  afraid,  and  the  thoughts  upon  my  bed 
and  the  visions  of  my  head  troubled  me.  There- 
fore made  I  a  decree  to  bring  in  all  the  wise  men 
of  Babylon  before  me,  that  they  might  make 


THE   PROUD  KING  399 

known  unto  me  the  interpretation  of  the  dream. 
Then  came  in  the  magicians,  the  astrologers,  the 
Chaldeans,  and  the  soothsayers.  And  I  told  the 
dream  before  them;  but  they  did  not  make  known 
unto  me  the  interpretation  thereof. 

"But  at  the  last  Daniel  came  in  before  me, 
whose  name  was  Belteshazzar,  according  to  the 
name  of  my  god,  and  in  whom  is  the  spirit  of  the 
holy  gods.  And  before  him  I  told  the  dream,  say- 
ing:— 

"'O  Belteshazzar,  master  of  the  magicians,  be- 
cause I  know  that  the  spirit  of  the  holy  gods  is  in 
thee,  and  no  secret  troubleth  thee,  tell  me  the 
visions  of  my  dream  that  I  have  seen,  and  the  in- 
terpretation thereof. 

"'Thus  were  the  visions  of  mine  head  in  my 
bed :  I  saw,  and  behold  a  tree  in  the  midst  of  the 
earth,  and  the  height  thereof  was  great.  The  tree 
grew,  and  was  strong,  and  the  height  thereof 
reached  unto  heaven,  and  the  sight  thereof  to  the 
end  of  all  the  earth.  The  leaves  thereof  were  fair, 
and  the  fruit  thereof  much,  and  in  it  was  meat 
for  all.  The  beasts  of  the  field  had  shadow  under 
it,  and  the  fowls  of  the  heaven  dwelt  in  the  boughs 
thereof,  and  all  flesh  was  fed  of  it. 

" '  I  saw  in  the  visions  of  my  head  upon  my  bed, 
and,  behold,  a  watcher  and  an  holy  one  came  down 
from  heaven.  He  cried  aloud,  and  said  thus,  "  Hew 
down  the  tree,  and  cut  oil  his  branches,  shake  off 


400  BIBLE  STORIES 

his  leaves,  and  scatter  his  fruit.  Let  the  beasts 
get  away  from  under  it,  and  the  fowls  from  his 
branches.  Nevertheless  leave  the  stump  of  his 
roots  in  the  earth,  even  with  a  band  of  iron  and 
brass,  in  the  tender  grass  of  the  field ;  and  let  it  be 
wet  with  the  dew  of  heaven,  and  let  his  portion 
be  with  the  beasts  in  the  grass  of  the  earth.  Let 
his  heart  be  changed  from  man's,  and  let  a  beast's 
heart  be  given  unto  him ;  and  let  seven  times  pass 
over  him.  This  matter  is  by  the  decree  of  the 
watchers,  and  the  demand  by  the  word  of  the  holy 
ones:  to  the  intent  that  the  living  may  know  that 
the  most  High  ruleth  in  the  kingdom  of  men,  and 
giveth  it  to  whomsoever  he  will,  and  setteth  up 
over  it  the  basest  of  men." 

"'This  dream  I  king  Nebuchadnezzar  have 
seen.  Now  thou,  O  Belteshazzar,  declare  the  in- 
terpretation thereof,  forasmuch  as  all  the  wise 
men  of  my  kingdom  are  not  able  to  make  known 
unto  me  the  interpretation:  but  thou  art  able; 
for  the  spirit  of  the  holy  gods  is  in  thee.' 

"  Then  Daniel,  whose  name  was  Belteshazzar, 
was  astonied  for  one  hour,  and  his  thoughts 
troubled  him.  The  king  spake,  and  said,  'Bel- 
teshazzar, let  not  the  dream,  or  the  interpretation 
thereof,  trouble  thee.' 

"  Belteshazzar  answered  and  said,  'IVIy  lord,  the 
dream  be  to  them  that  hate  thee,  and  the  in- 
terpretation thereof  to  tliine  enemies.    The  tree 


THE  PROUD  KING  401 

that  thou  sawest,  which  grew,  and  was  strong, 
whose  height  reached  unto  the  heaven,  and  the 
sight  thereof  to  all  the  earth;  whose  leaves  were 
fair,  and  the  fruit  thereof  much,  and  in  it  was 
meat  for  all ;  under  which  the  beasts  of  the  field 
dwelt,  and  upon  whose  branches  the  fowls  of  the 
heaven  had  their  habitation:  it  is  thou,  O  King, 
that  art  grown  and  become  strong :  for  thy  great- 
ness is  grown,  and  reacheth  unto  heaven,  and  thy 
dominion  to  the  end  of  the  earth.  And  whereas 
the  king  saw  a  watcher  and  an  holy  one  coming 
down  from  heaven,  and  saying,  'Hew  the  tree 
down,  and  destroy  it;  yet  leave  the  stump  of  the 
roots  thereof  in  the  earth,  even  with  a  band  of 
iron  and  brass,  in  the  tender  grass  of  the  field;  and 
let  it  be  wet  with  the  dew  of  heaven,  and  let  his 
portion  be  with  the  beasts  of  the  field,  till  seven 
times  pass  over  him.' 

"'This  is  the  interpretation,  O  king,  and  this 
is  the  decree  of  the  most  High,  which  is  come 
upon  my  lord  the  king :  that  they  shall  drive  thee 
from  men,  and  thy  dwelling  shall  be  with  the 
beasts  of  the  field,  and  they  shall  make  thee  to  eat 
grass  as  oxen,  and  they  shall  wet  thee  with  the  dew 
of  heaven,  and  seven  times  shall  pass  over  thee, 
till  thou  know  that  the  most  High  ruleth  in  the 
kingdom  of  men,  and  giveth  it  to  whomsoever  he 
will.  And  whereas  they  commanded  to  leave  the 
stump  of  the  tree  roots;  thy  kingdom  shall  be 


402  BIBLE  STORIES 

sure  unto  thee,  after  that  thou  shalt  have  known 
that  the  heavens  do  rule. 

"'AMierefore,  O  king,  let  my  counsel  be  accept- 
able unto  thee,  and  break  off  thy  sins  by  right- 
eousness, and  thine  iniquities  by  shewing  mercy 
to  the  poor;  if  it  may  be  a  lengthening  of  thy 
tranquillity.' 

"All  this  came  upon  the  king  Nebuchad- 
nezzar. At  the  end  of  twelve  months  he  walked 
in  the  palace  of  the  kingdom  of  Babylon.  The 
king  spake,  and  said,  'Is  not  this  great  Babylon, 
that  I  have  built  for  the  house  of  the  kingdom  by 
the  might  of  my  power,  and  for  the  honour  of 
my  majesty.'^' 

"While  the  word  was  in  the  king's  mouth,  there 
fell  a  voice  from  heaven,  saying, '  Oking  Nebuchad- 
nezzar, to  thee  it  is  spoken.  The  kingdom  is  de- 
parted from  thee.  And  they  shall  drive  thee  from 
men,  and  thy  dwelling  shall  be  with  the  beasts  of 
the  field.  They  shall  make  thee  to  eat  grass  as 
oxen,  and  seven  times  shall  pass  over  thee,  until 
thou  know  that  the  most  High  ruleth  in  the  king- 
dom of  men,  and  giveth  it  to  whomsoever  he  will.' 

"The  same  hour  was  the  thing  fulfilled  upon 
Nebuchadnezzar:  and  he  was  driven  from  men, 
and  did  eat  grass  as  oxen,  an<l  his  l)ody  was  wet 
with  the  dew  of  heaven,  till  his  hairs  were  grown 
like  eagles'  feathers,  and  his  nails  like  birds' 
claws. 


BELSHAZZAR'S  FEAST  403 

"And  at  the  end  of  the  days  I  Nebuchadnezzar 
lifted  up  mine  eyes  unto  heaven,  and  mine  under- 
standing returned  unto  me,  and  I  blessed  the 
most  High,  and  I  praised  and  honoured  him  that 
liveth  for  ever,  whose  dominion  is  an  everhisting 
dominion,  and  his  kingdom  is  from  generation  to 
generation.  And  all  the  inhabitants  of  the  earth 
are  reputed  as  nothing:  and  he  doeth  according  to 
his  will  in  the  army  of  heaven,  and  among  the 
inhabitants  of  the  earth:  and  none  can  stay  his 
hand,  or  say  unto  him,  'What  doest  thou?' 

"At  the  same  time  my  reason  returned  unto 
me;  and  for  the  glory  of  my  kingdom,  mine  honour 
and  brightness  returned  unto  me;  and  my  coun- 
sellors and  my  lords  sought  unto  me;  and  I  was 
established  in  my  kingdom,  and  excellent  majesty 
was  added  unto  me. 

"Now  I  Nebuchadnezzar  praise  and  extol  and 
honour  the  King  of  heaven,  all  whose  works  are 
truth,  and  his  ways  judgment:  and  those  that 
walk  in  pride  he  is  able  to  abase." 

Daniel,  4 

BELSHAZZ^VR'S  FEAST 

Belsiiazzar  the  king  made  a  great  feast  to  a 
thousand  of  his  lords,  and  drank  wine  before  the 
thousand.  Belsiiazzar,  whiles  he  tasted  the  wine, 
commanded  to  bring  the  golden  and  silver  ves- 


404  BIBLE   STORIES 

sels  which  his  father  Nebuchadnezzar  had  taken 
out  of  the  temple  which  was  in  Jerusalem;  that 
the  king,  and  his  princes,  his  wives,  and  his  con- 
cubines, might  drink  therein. 

Then  they  brought  the  golden  vessels  that 
were  taken  out  of  the  temple  of  the  house  of  God 
which  was  at  Jerusalem;  and  the  king,  and  his 
princes,  his  wives,  and  his  concubines,  drank  in 
them.  They  drank  wine,  and  praised  the  gods 
of  gold,  and  of  silver,  of  brass,  of  iron,  of  wood, 
and  of  stone. 

In  the  same  hour  came  forth  fingers  of  a  man's 
hand,  and  wrote  over  against  the  candlestick  upon 
the  plaster  of  the  wall  of  the  king's  palace.  And 
the  king  saw  the  part  of  the  hand  that  wrote. 

Then  the  king's  countenance  was  changed,  and 
his  thoughts  troubled  him,  so  that  the  joints  of 
his  loins  were  loosed,  and  his  knees  smote  one 
against  another.  The  king  cried  aloud  to  bring  in 
the  astrologers,  the  Chaldeans,  and  the  sooth- 
sayers. And  the  king  spake,  and  said  to  the  wise 
men  of  Babylon,  "Whosoever  shall  read  this 
writing,  and  shew  me  the  interpretation  thereof, 
shall  be  clothed  with  scarlet,  and  have  a  chain  of 
gold  about  his  neck,  and  shall  be  the  third  ruler 
in  the  kingdom." 

Then  came  in  all  the  king's  wise  men :  but  they 
could  not  read  the  writing,  nor  make  known  to 
the  king  the  interpretation  thereof.     Then  was 


BELSHAZZAR'S  FEAST  405 

king  Belshazzar  greatly  troubled,  and  his  coun- 
tenance was  changed  in  him,  and  his  lords  were 
astonied. 

Now  the  queen  by  reason  of  the  words  of  the 
king  and  his  lords  came  into  the  banquet  house: 
and  the  queen  spake  and  said,  "O  king,  live  for 
ever.  Let  not  thy  thoughts  trouble  thee,  nor  let 
thy  countenance  be  changed.  There  is  a  man  in 
thy  kingdom,  in  whom  is  the  spirit  of  the  holy 
gods;  and  in  the  days  of  thy  father  light  and 
understanding  and  wisdom,  like  the  wisdom  of 
the  gods,  was  found  in  him;  whom  the  king 
Nebuchadnezzar  thy  father,  the  king,  I  say,  thy 
father,  made  master  of  the  magicians,  astrolo- 
gers, Chaldeans,  and  soothsayers;  forasmuch  as 
an  excellent  spirit,  and  knowledge,  and  under- 
standing, interpreting  of  dreams,  and  shewing 
of  hard  sentences,  and  dissolving  of  doubts,  were 
found  in  the  same  Daniel,  whom  the  king  named 
Belteshazzar.  Now  let  Daniel  be  called,  and  he 
will  shew  the  interpretation." 

Then  was  Daniel  brought  in  before  the  king. 
And  the  king  spake  and  said  unto  Daniel,  "Art 
thou  that  Daniel,  which  art  of  the  children  of  the 
captivity  of  Judah,  whom  the  king  my  father 
brought  out  of  Jewry .'^  I  have  even  heard  of  thee, 
that  the  spirit  of  the  gods  is  in  thee,  and  that  li(>ht 
and  understanding  and  excellent  wisdom  is  louiid 
in  thee.    And  now  the  wise  men,  the  astrologers. 


406  BIBLE   STORIES 

have  been  brought  in  before  me.  that  they  should 
read  this  writing,  and  make  known  unto  me  the 
interpretation  thereof:  but  they  coukl  not  shew 
the  interpretation  of  the  thing.  And  I  have  heard 
of  thee,  that  thou  canst  make  interpretations,  and 
dissolve  doubts.  Now  if  thou  canst  read  the  writ- 
ing, and  make  known  to  me  the  interpretation 
thereof,  thou  shalt  be  clothed  with  scarlet,  and 
have  a  chain  of  gold  about  thy  neck,  and  shalt  be 
the  third  ruler  in  the  kingdom." 

Then  Daniel  answered  and  said  before  the  king, 
"Let  thy  gifts  be  to  thyself,  and  give  thy  rewards 
to  another;  yet  I  will  read  the  writing  unto  the 
king,  and  make  known  to  him  the  interpretation. 

"O  thou  king,  the  most  high  God  gave  Neb- 
uchadnezzar thy  father  a  kingdom,  and  majesty, 
and  glory,  and  honour.  And  for  the  majesty  that 
he  gave  him,  all  people,  nations,  and  languages, 
trembled  and  feared  before  him.  ^^'hom  he  would 
he  slew,  and  whom  he  would  he  kept  alive;  and 
whom  he  would  he  set  up;  and  whom  he  would 
he  put  down.  But  when  his  heart  was  lifted  up, 
and  his  mind  hardened  in  pride,  he  was  deposed 
from  his  kingly  throne,  and  they  took  his  glory 
from  him.  And  he  was  driven  from  the  sons  of 
men;  and  his  heart  was  made  like  the  beasts,  and 
his  dwelling  was  with  the  wild  asses.  They  fed 
him  with  grass  like  oxen,  and  his  body  was  wet 
with  the  dew  of  heaven;  till  he  knew  that  the 


BELSHAZZAR'S  FEAST  407 

most  high  God  ruled  in  the  kingdom  of  men, 
and  that  he  appointeth  over  it  whomsoever  he 
will. 

"And  thou  his  son,  O  Belshazzar,  hast  not 
humbled  thine  heart,  though  thou  knewest  all 
this.  But  hast  lifted  up  thyself  against  the  Lord 
of  heaven;  and  they  have  brought  the  vessels  of 
his  house  before  thee,  and  thou,  and  thy  lords, 
thy  wives,  and  thy  concubines,  have  drunk  wine 
in  them;  and  thou  hast  praised  the  gods  of  silver, 
and  gold,  of  brass,  iron,  wood,  and  stone,  which 
see  not,  nor  hear,  nor  know:  and  the  God  in 
whose  hand  thy  breath  is,  and  whose  are  all  thy 
ways,  hast  thou  not  glorified.  Then  was  the  part 
of  the  hand  sent  from  him;  and  this  writing  was 
written. 

"And  this  is  the  writing  that  w^as  written, 
MENE,  MENE,  TEKEL,  UPILIRSIN.  This 
is  the  intepretation  of  the  thing:  MENE;  God 
hath  numbered  thy  kingdom,  and  finished  it. 
TEKEL;  Thou  art  weighed  in  the  balances, 
and  art  found  wanting.  PERES;  Thy  kingdom 
is  divided,  and  given  to  the  Medes  and  Per- 
sians." 

Then  commanded  Belshazzar,  and  they  clothed 
Daniel   with   scarlet,   and   put   a  chain   of  gold^ 
about  his  neck,  and  made  a  proclamation  con- 
cerning him,  that  he  should  be  the  third  ruler 
in  the  kingdom. 


408  BIBLE  STORIES 

In  that  night  was  Belshazzar  the  king  of  the 
Chaldeans  slain.  And  Darius  the  Median  took 
the  kingdom,  being  about  threescore  and  two 
years  old. 

Daniel,  5 

DANIEL  IN  THE  LIONS'  DEN 

It  pleased  Darius  to  set  over  the  kingdom  an 
hundred  and  twenty  princes,  which  should  be 
over  the  whole  kingdom;  and  over  these  three 
presidents;  of  whom  Daniel  was  first:  that  the 
princes  might  give  accounts  unto  them,  and  the 
king  should  have  no  damage.  Then  this  Daniel 
was  preferred  above  the  presidents  and  princes, 
because  an  excellent  spirit  was  in  him;  and  the 
king  thought  to  set  him  over  the  whole  realm. 

Then  the  presidents  and  princes  sought  to  find 
occasion  against  Daniel  concerning  the  kingdom; 
but  they  could  find  none  occasion  nor  fault;  for- 
asmuch as  he  was  faithful,  neither  was  there  any 
error  or  fault  found  in  him.  Then  said  these 
men,  "We  shall  not  find  any  occasion  against 
this  Daniel,  except  we  find  it  against  him  con- 
cerning the  law  of  his  God." 

Then  these  presidents  and  princes  assembled 
together  to  the  king,  and  said  thus  unto  him, 
"King  Darius,  live  for  ever.  All  the  presidents  of 
the  kingdom,  the  governors,  and  the  princes,  the 


DANIEL  IN  THE   LIONS'   DEN    409 

counsellors,  and  the  captains,  have  consulted  to- 
gether to  establish  a  royal  statute,  and  to  make  a 
firm  decree,  that  whosoever  shall  ask  a  petition 
of  any  God  or  man  for  thirty  days,  save  of  thee, 
O  king,  he  shall  be  cast  into  the  den  of  lions. 
Now,  O  king,  establish  the  decree,  and  sign  the 
writing,  that  it  be  not  changed,  according  to  the 
law  of  the  Medes  and  Persians,  which  altereth 
not."  AVherefore  king  Darius  signed  the  writing 
and  the  decree. 

Now  when  Daniel  knew  that  the  writing  was 
signed,  he  went  into  his  house;  and  his  windows 
being  open  in  his  chamber  toward  Jerusalem,  he 
kneeled  upon  his  knees  three  times  a  day,  and 
prayed,  and  gave  thanks  before  his  God,  as  he  did 
aforetime. 

Then  these  men  assembled,  and  found  Daniel 
praying  and  making  supplication  before  his  God. 

Then  they  came  near,  and  spake  before  the 
king  concerning  the  king's  decree;  "Hast  thou 
not  signed  a  decree,  that  every  man  that  shall 
ask  a  petition  of  any  God  or  man  within  thirty 
days,  save  of  thee,  O  king,  shall  be  cast  into  the 
den  of  lions?  "  The  king  answered  and  said,  "  The 
thing  is  true,  according  to  the  law  of  the  Medes 
and  Persians,  which  altereth  not." 

Then  answered  they  and  said  before  the  king, 
"That  Daniel,  which  is  of  the  children  of  the  cap- 
tivity of  Judah,  regardeth  not  thee,  O  king,  nor 


410  BIBLE  STORIES 

the  decree  that  thou  hast  signed,  but  maketh  his 
petition  three  times  a  day." 

Then  the  king,  when  he  heard  these  words,  was 
sore  displeased  with  himself,  and  set  his  heart  on 
Daniel  to  deliver  him :  and  he  laboured  till  the  go- 
ing down  of  the  sun  to  deliver  him.  Then  these 
men  assembled  unto  the  king,  and  said  unto  the 
king,  ^'Know,  O  king,  that  the  law  of  the  Medes 
and  Persians  is,  'That  no  decree  nor  statute 
which  the  king  establisheth  may  be  changed.'" 

Then  the  king  commanded,  and  they  brought 
Daniel,  and  cast  him  into  the  den  of  lions.  Now 
the  king  spake  and  said  unto  Daniel,  "Thy  God 
whom  thou  servest  continually,  he  will  deliver 
thee."  And  a  stone  was  brought,  and  laid  upon 
the  mouth  of  the  den ;  and  the  king  sealed  it  with 
his  own  signet,  and  with  the  signet  of  his  lords; 
that  the  purpose  might  not  be  changed  concern- 
ing Daniel. 

Then  the  king  went  to  his  palace,  and  passed  the 
night  fasting:  neither  were  instruments  of  music 
brought  before  him :  and  his  sleep  went  from  him. 

Then  the  king  arose  very  early  in  the  morning, 
and  went  in  haste  unto  the  den  of  lions.  And  when 
he  came  to  the  den,  he  cried  with  a  lamentable 
voice  unto  Daniel :  and  the  king  spake  and  said  to 
Daniel,  "O  Daniel,  servant  of  the  living  God,  is 
thy  God,  whom  thou  servest  continually,  able  to 
deliver  thee  from  the  lions?" 


DANIEL  IN  THE   LIONS'   DEN    411 

Then  said  Daniel  unto  the  king,  "O  king,  live 
for  ever.  My  God  hath  sent  his  angel,  and  hath 
shut  the  lions'  mouths,  that  they  have  not  hurt 
me :  forasmuch  as  before  him  innocency  was  found 
in  me;  and  also  before  thee,  O  king,  have  I  done 
no  hurt." 

Then  was  the  king  exceeding  glad  for  him,  and 
connnanded  that  they  should  take  Daniel  up  out 
of  the  den.  So  Daniel  was  taken  up  out  of  the  den, 
and  no  manner  of  hurt  was  found  upon  him,  be- 
cause he  believed  in  his  God. 

And  the  king  commanded,  and  they  brought 
those  men  which  had  accused  Daniel,  and  they 
cast  them  into  the  den  of  lions,  them,  their  chil- 
dren, and  their  wives;  and  the  lions  had  the 
mastery  of  them,  and  brake  all  their  bones  in 
pieces  or  ever  they  came  at  the  bottom  of  the 
den. 

Then  king  Darius  wrote  unto  all  people,  na- 
tions, and  languages,  that  dwell  in  all  the  earth; 
"Peace  be  multiplied  unto  you.  I  make  a  decree, 
that  in  every  dominion  of  my  kingdom  men  trem- 
ble and  fear  before  the  God  of  Daniel:  for  he  is 
the  living  God,  and  stedfast  for  ever,  and  his  king- 
dom that  which  shall  not  be  destroyed,  and  his 
dominion  shall  be  even  unto  the  end.  He  de- 
livereth  and  rescueth,  and  he  worketh  signs  and 
wonders  in  heaven  and  in  earth,  who  hath  deliv- 
ered Daniel  from  the  power  of  the  lions." 


412  BIBLE   STORIES 

So  this  Daniel  prospered  in  the  reign  of  Darius, 
and  in  the  reign  of  Cyrus  the  Persian. 

Daniel,  6 

Read  of  DanieVs  wonderful  visions,  "  The  Great  Beasts'' 
Daniel,  chap.  7;  "  The  Ram  and  the  Goat,''  Daniel,  chap.  8; 
"  The  Messiah  the  Prince,"  Daniel,  chap.  9;  ''The  Terrible 
Wars  in  the  Last  Times,"  chaps.  10  and  11;  "  The  Last  Days," 
chap.  12 


THE  RETURN  FROM  THE  CAPTIVITY 

Now  in  the  first  year  of  Cyrus  king  of  Persia, 
that  the  word  of  the  Lord  by  the  mouth  of  Jere- 
miah might  be  fulfilled,  the  Lord  stirred  up  the 
spirit  of  Cyrus  king  of  Persia,  that  he  made  a  pro- 
clamation throughout  all  his  kingdom,  and  put 
it  also  in  writing,  saying:  — 

"Thus  saith  Cyrus  king  of  Persia,  'The  Lord 
God  of  heaven  hath  given  me  all  the  kingdoms  of 
the  earth;  and  he  hath  charged  me  to  build  him 
an  house  at  Jerusalem,  which  is  in  Judah.  Who 
is  there  among  you  of  all  his  people?  his  God  be 
with  him,  and  let  him  go  up  to  Jerusalem,  which 
is  in  Judah,  and  build  the  house  of  the  Lord  God 
of  Israel,  (he  is  the  God,)  which  is  in  Jerusalem. 
And  whosoever  remaineth  in  any  place  where  he 
sojourneth,  let  the  men  of  his  place  help  him  with 
silver,  and  with  gold,  and  with  goods,  and  with 
beasts,  beside  the  freewill  offering  for  the  house  of 
God  that  is  in  Jerusalem.' " 


THE   RETURN  FROM   CAPTIVITY    413 

Then  rose  up  the  chief  of  the  fathers  of  Judah 
and  Benjamm,  and  the  priests,  and  the  Levites, 
with  all  them  whose  spirit  God  had  raised,  to  go 
up  to  build  the  house  of  the  Lord  which  is  in 
Jerusalem.  And  all  they  that  were  about  them 
strengthened  their  hands  with  vessels  of  silver, 
with  gold,  with  goods,  and  with  beasts,  and  with 
precious  things,  beside  all  that  was  willingly 
offered. 

Also  Cyrus  the  king  brought  forth  the  vessels 
of  the  house  of  the  Lord,  which  Nebuchadnezzar 
had  brought  forth  out  of  Jerusalem,  and  had  put 
them  in  the  house  of  his  gods;  even  those  did 
Cyrus  king  of  Persia  bring  forth  by  the  hand  of 
Mithredath  the  treasurer,  and  numbered  them 
unto  Sheshbazzar,  the  prince  of  Judah.  And  this 
is  the  number  of  them:  thirty  chargers  of  gold, 
a  thousand  chargers  of  silver,  nine  and  twenty 
knives,  thirty  basins  of  gold,  silver  basins  of  a 
second  sort  four  hundred  and  ten,  and  other  ves- 
sels a  thousand.  All  the  vessels  of  gold  and  of 
silver  were  five  thousand  and  four  hundred.  All 
these  did  Sheshbazzar  bring  up  with  them  of  the 
captivity  that  were  brought  up  from  Babylon 
unto  Jerusalem. 

The  whole  congregation  together  was  forty  and 
two  thousand  three  hundred  and  threescore,  be- 
side their  servants  and  their  maitls,  of  whom  there 
were  seven  thousand  throe  hundred  thirty  and 


414  BIBLE   STORIES 

seven:  and  there  were  among  them  two  hundred 
singing  men  and  singing  women.  Their  horses 
were  seven  hundred  thirty  and  six;  their  mules, 
two  hundred  forty  and  five;  their  camels,  four 
hundred  thirty  and  five;  their  asses,  six  thousand 
seven  hundred  and  twenty. 

And  some  of  the  chief  of  the  fathers,  when  they 
came  to  the  house  of  the  Lord  which  is  at  Jeru- 
salem, offered  freely  for  the  house  of  God  to  set 
it  up  in  his  place. 

Ezra,  1,  2 

"  How  the  Prophet  Isaiah  Foretold  that  Cyrus  Would  Restore 
Israel  and  Rebuild  Jerusalem,"  see  Isaiah,  chap.  44.  verses  2Jlr- 
28;  and  chap.  ^5,  verses  1-13.  Read  also  Nehemiah,  about 
"The  King's  Cup-Bearer" 


teofsome  tk  JtJ  not  itbim 


But  now  thus  saitk  the  Lord  that  created  thee,  0  Jacob,  and 
he  that  formed  thee,  0  Israel,  "Fear  not:  for  I  have  redeemed 
thee,  I  have  called  thee  hij  thy  name;  thou  art  mine. 

'*  When  thou  passest  through  the  waters,  I  irill  be  vith  thee; 
and  through  the  rivers,  they  shall  not  overflow  thee:  ivhen  thou 
walkest  through  the  fire,  thou  shall  not  be  burned;  neither  shall 
the  flame  kindle  upon  thee. 

"  For  I  am  the  Lord  thy  God,  the  Holy  One  of  Israel,  thy 
Saviour." 

Isaiah,  43 


HOW  QUEEN  VASHTI  WOULD  NOT 

ow  it  came  to  pass  in  the  days  of  Ahas- 
uerus,  (this  is  Ahasuerus  which  reigned, 
'from  India  even  unto  Ethiopia,  over  an 
hundred  and  seven  and  twenty  provinces:) 
'that  in  those  days,  when  the  king  Ahasuerus 
sat  on  the  throne  of  his  kingdom,  which  was 
in  Shushan  the  palace,  in  the  third  year  of  his 
reign,  he  made  a  feast  unto  all  his  princes  and 
his  servants;  the  power  of  Persia  and  Media,  the 
nobles  and  princes  of  the  provinces,  being  before 
him.  When  he  shewed  the  riches  of  his  glorious 
kingdom  and  the  honour  of  his  excellent  majesty 
many  days,  even  an  hundred  and  fourscore  days. 
And  when  these  days  were  expired,  the  king 
made  a  feast  unto  all  the  people  that  were  pres- 
ent in  Shushan  the  palace,  both  unto  great  and 
small,  seven  days,  in  the  court  of  the  garden  of 
the  king's  palace.  Where  were  white,  green,  and 
blue,  hangings,  fastened  with  cords  of  fine  linen 
and  pur])le  to  silver  rings  and  pillars  of  marble. 
The  couches  were  of  gold  and  silver,  upon  a  pave- 
ment of  porphyry,  and  white  marble,  and  ahi- 
baster,  and  stone  of  blue  colour.  And  they  gave 
them  drink  in  vessels  of  gold,  (the  vessels  being 
diverse    one  from  another,)  and   royal  wine  in 


418  BIBLE   STORIES 

abundance,  according  to  the  state  of  the  king. 
And  the  drinking  was  according  to  the  law;  none 
did  compel:  for  so  the  king  had  appointed  to  all 
the  officers  of  his  house,  that  they  should  do  ac- 
cording to  every  man's  pleasure. 

Also  Vashti  the  queen  made  a  feast  for  the 
women  in  the  royal  house  which  belonged  to  king 
Ahasuerus. 

On  the  seventh  day,  when  the  heart  of  the 
king  was  merry  with  wine,  he  commanded  the 
seven  chamberlains  that  served  in  the  presence 
of  Ahasuerus  the  king,  to  bring  Vashti  the  queen 
before  the  king  with  the  crown  royal,  to  shew 
the  people  and  the  princes  her  beauty :  for  she  was 
fair  to  look  on.  But  the  queen  Vashti  refused  to 
come  at  the  king's  commandment  by  his  cham- 
berlains: therefore  was  the  king  very  wroth,  and 
his  anger  burned  in  him. 

Then  the  king  said  to  the  wise  men,  which  knew 
the  times,  (for  so  was  the  king's  manner  toward  all 
that  knew  law  and  judgment:  and  the  next  unto 
him  was  Carshena,  Shethar,  Admatha,  Tarshish, 
Meres,  Marsena,  and  Memucan,  the  seven  princes 
of  Persia  and  Media,  which  saw  the  king's  face, 
and  which  sat  the  first  in  the  kingdom;)  "What 
shall  we  do  unto  the  queen  Vashti  according  to 
law,  because  she  hath  not  performed  the  com- 
mandment of  the  king  Ahasuerus  by  the  cham- 
berlains.''" 


HOW  QUEEN  VASHTI  WOULD  NOT    419 

And  Mcniucan  answered  before  the  kinft'  and 
the  princes,  "Vashti  the  queen  hath  not  done 
wrong  to  the  king  only,  but  also  to  all  the  princes, 
and  to  all  the  people  that  are  in  all  the  provinces 
of  the  king  Ahasuerus.  For  this  deed  of  the  queen 
shall  come  abroad  unto  all  women,  so  that  they 
shall  despise  their  husbands  in  their  eyes,  when 
it  shall  be  reported,  'The  king  Ahasuerus  com- 
manded Vashti  the  queen  to  be  brought  in  be- 
fore him,  but  she  came  not.'  Likewise  shall  the 
ladies  of  Persia  and  Media  say  this  day  unto  all 
the  king's  princes,  which  have  heard  of  the  deed 
of  the  queen.  Thus  shall  there  arise  too  much 
contempt  and  wrath. 

*'  If  it  please  the  king,  let  there  go  a  royal  com- 
mandment from  him,  and  let  it  be  written  among 
the  laws  of  the  Persians  and  the  Medes,  that  it 
be  not  altered,  that  Vashti  come  no  more  before 
king  Ahasuerus;  and  let  the  king  give  her  royal 
estate  unto  another  that  is  better  than  she.  And 
when  the  king's  decree  which  he  shall  make  shall 
be  published  throughout  all  his  empire,  (for  it  is 
great,)  all  the  wives  shall  give  to  their  husbands 
honour,  both  to  great  and  small." 

And  the  saying  pleased  the  king  and  the 
princes;  and  the  king  did  according  to  the  word 
of  Memucan.  For  he  sent  letters  into  all  the 
king's  provinces,  into  every  province  according 
to  the  writing  thereof,  and  to  every  people  after 


420  BIBLE  STORIES 

their  language,  that  every  man  should  bear  rule 
in  his  own  house,  and  that  it  should  be  published 
according  to  the  language  of  every  people. 

EsTHEK,  1 


ESTHER  THE  BEAUTIFUL 

After  these  things,  when  the  wrath  of  king 
Ahasuerus  was  appeased,  he  remembered  Vashti, 
and  what  she  had  done,  and  what  was  decreed 
against  her.  Then  said  the  king's  servants  that 
ministered  unto  him,  "Let  there  be  fair  young 
virgins  sought  for  the  king.  And  let  the  king  ap- 
point officers  in  all  the  provinces  of  his  kingdom, 
that  they  may  gather  together  all  the  fair  young 
virgins  unto  Shushan  the  palace,  to  the  house  of 
the  women,  unto  the  custody  of  Hegai  the  king's 
chamberlain,  keeper  of  the  women.  And  let  the 
maiden  which  pleaseth  the  king  be  queen  instead 
of  Vashti."  And  the  thing  pleased  the  king;  and 
he  did  so. 

Now  in  Shushan  the  palace  there  was  a  certain 
Jew,  whose  name  was  Mordecai,  the  son  of  Jair, 
the  son  of  Shimei,  the  son  of  Kish,  a  Benjamite; 
who  had  been  carried  away  from  Jerusalem  with 
the  captivity,  whom  Nebuchadnezzar  the  king  of 
Babylon  had  carried  away.  And  he  brought  up 
Hadassah,  that  is,  Esther,  his  uncle's  daughter: 
for  she  had  neither  father  nor  mother.    And  the 


ESTHER  THE  BEAUTIFUL         421 

maid  was  fair  and  beautiful;  whom  Mordecai, 
when  her  father  and  mother  were  dead,  took  for 
his  own  daughter. 

So  it  came  to  pass,  when  the  king's  command- 
ment and  his  decree  was  heard,  and  when  many 
maidens  were  gathered  together  unto  Shushan 
the  palace,  to  the  custody  of  Hegai,  that  Esther 
was  brought  also  unto  the  king's  house,  to  the 
custody  of  Hegai,  keeper  of  the  women.  And  the 
maiden  pleased  him,  and  she  obtained  kindness 
of  him;  and  he  speedily  gave  her  such  things  as 
belonged  to  her,  and  seven  maidens,  which  were 
meet  to  be  given  her,  out  of  the  king's  house.  And 
he  preferred  her  and  her  maids  unto  the  best 
place  of  the  house  of  the  women. 

Esther  had  not  shewed  her  people  nor  her  kin- 
dred :  for  Mordecai  had  charged  her  that  she  should 
not  shew  it.  And  Mordecai  walked  every  day  be- 
fore the  court  of  the  women's  house,  to  know  how 
Esther  did,  and  what  should  become  of  her. 

So  Esther  was  taken  unto  king  Ahasuerus  into 
his  house  royal  in  the  tenth  month,  which  is  the 
month  Tebeth,  in  the  seventh  year  of  his  reign. 
And  the  king  loved  Esther  above  all  the  women, 
and  she  obtained  grace  and  favour  in  his  sight 
more  than  all  the  virgins;  so  that  he  set  the  royal 
crown  upon  her  head,  and  made  her  queen  in- 
stead of  Vashti. 

Then  the  king  made  a  great  feast  unto  all  his 


422  BIBLE  STORIES 

princes  and  his  servants,  even  Esther's  feast;  and 
he  made  a  release  to  the  provinces,  and  gave  gifts, 
according  to  the  state  of  the  king.  And  when  the 
virgins  were  gathered  together  the  second  time, 
then  Mordecai  sat  in  the  king's  gate.  Esther  had 
not  yet  shewed  her  kindred  nor  her  people;  as 
Mordecai  had  charged  her:  for  Esther  did  the 
commandment  of  Mordecai,  like  as  when  she  was 
brought  up  with  him. 

In  those  days,  while  Mordecai  sat  in  the  king's 
gate,  two  of  the  king's  chamberlains,  Bigthan  and 
Teresh,  of  those  which  kept  the  door,  were  wroth, 
and  sought  to  lay  hand  on  the  king  Ahasuerus. 
And  the  thing  was  known  to  ^Mordecai,  who  told  it 
unto  Esther  the  queen;  and  Esther  certified  the 
king  thereof  in  Mordecai's  name.  And  when  in- 
quisition was  made  of  the  matter,  it  was  found 
out;  therefore  they  were  both  hanged  on  a  tree: 
and  it  was  written  in  the  book  of  the  chronicles 
before  the  king. 

Esther,  2 

THE  PLOT  OF  THAT  WICKED   HAMAN 

After  these  things  did  king  Ahasuerus  pro- 
mote Haman  the  son  of  Hammedatha  the  Aga- 
gite,  and  advanced  him,  and  set  his  seat  above  all 
the  princes  that  were  with  him.  And  all  the  king's 
servants,  that  were  in  the  king's  gate,  bowed,  and 


PLOT  OF  THAT  WICKED  IIAMAN    423 

reverenced  Haman:  for  the  king  had  so  com- 
manded concerning  him.  But  Mordecai  bowed 
not,  nor  did  him  reverence. 

Then  the  king's  servants,  wliich  were  in  the 
king's  gate,  said  unto  Mordecai,  "Why  trans- 
gressest  thou  the  king's  commandment.^"  Now 
it  came  to  pass,  when  they  spake  daily  unto 
him,  and  he  hearkened  not  unto  them,  that  they 
told  Haman,  to  see  whether  Mordecai's  matters 
would  stand :  for  he  had  told  them  that  he  was 
a  Jew. 

And  when  Haman  saw  that  Mordecai  bowed 
not,  nor  did  him  reverence,  then  was  Haman  full 
of  wrath.  And  he  thought  scorn  to  lay  hands  on 
Mordecai  alone;  for  they  had  shewed  him  the 
people  of  Mordecai.  Wherefore  Haman  sought 
to  destroy  all  the  Jews  that  were  throughout  the 
whole  kingdom  of  Ahasuerus,  even  the  people  of 
Mordecai. 

And  Haman  said  unto  king  Ahasuerus,  "There 
is  a  certain  people  scattered  abroad  and  dispersed 
among  the  people  in  all  the  provinces  of  thy  king- 
dom; and  their  laws  are  diverse  from  all  people; 
neither  keep  they  the  king's  laws:  therefore  it  is 
not  for  the  king's  profit  to  suffer  them.  If  it  please 
the  king,  let  it  be  written  that  tliey  may  be  de- 
stroyed: and  I  will  pay  ten  thousand  talents  of  sil- 
ver to  the  hands  of  those  that  have  the  charge  of  the 
business,  to  bring  it  into  the  king's  treasuries." 


424  BIBLE  STORIES 

And  the  king  took  liis  ring  from  his  hand,  and 
gave  it  unto  Haman  the  son  of  Hammedatha  the 
Agagite,  the  Jews'  enemy.  And  the  king  said 
unto  Haman,  "The  silver  is  given  to  thee,  the 
people  also,  to  do  with  them  as  it  seemeth  good 
to  thee." 

Then  were  the  king's  scribes  called  on  the  thir- 
teenth day  of  the  first  month,  and  there  was 
written  according  to  all  that  Haman  had  com- 
manded unto  the  king's  lieutenants,  and  to  the 
governors  that  were  over  every  province,  and  to 
the  rulers  of  every  people  of  every  province  ac- 
cording to  the  writing  thereof,  and  to  every  people 
after  their  language;  in  the  name  of  king  Ahasu- 
erus  was  it  written,  and  sealed  with  the  king's 
ring. 

And  the  letters  were  sent  by  posts  into  all  the 
king's  provinces,  to  destroy,  to  kill,  and  to  cause 
to  perish,  all  Jews,  both  young  and  old,  little 
children  and.  women,  in  one  day,  even  upon  the 
thirteenth  day  of  the  twelfth  month,  which  is 
the  month  Adar,  and  to  take  the  spoil  of  them  for 
a  prey. 

The  copy  of  the  writing  for  a  commandment  to 
be  given  in  every  province  was  published  unto  all 
people,  that  they  should  be  ready  against  that 
day. 

The  posts  went  out,  being  hastened  by  the 
king's  commandment,  and  the  decree  was  given 


^'AND   IF  I   PERISH,   I   PERISH!"     42.5 

in  Shusliaii  the  palace.  And  tlie  king  and  Haman 
sat  down  to  drink;  but  the  city  of  Shuslian  was 
perplexed. 

Esther,  3 

Read  "  Why  Mordecai  Bowed  not  before  a  Descendant  of 
Agag,"  Exodus,  chap  17;  1  Samuel,  chap.  15 


"AND  IF  I  PERISH,   I  PERISH!" 

When  Mordecai  perceived  all  that  was  done, 
Mordecai  rent  his  clothes,  and  put  on  sackcloth 
with  ashes,  and  went  out  into  the  midst  of  the 
city,  and  cried  with  a  loud  and  a  bitter  cry;  and 
came  even  before  the  king's  gate:  for  none  might 
enter  into  the  king's  gate  clothed  with  sackcloth. 

And  in  every  province,  whithersoever  the 
king's  commandment  and  his  decree  came,  there 
was  great  mourning  among  the  Jews,  and  fasting, 
and  weeping,  and  wailing;  and  many  lay  in  sack- 
cloth and  ashes. 

So  Esther's  maids  and  her  chamberlains  came 
and  told  it  her.  Then  was  the  queen  exceedingly 
grieved;  and  she  sent  raiment  to  clothe  Mordecai, 
and  to  take  away  his  sackcloth  from  him:  but  he 
received  it  not. 

Then  called  Esther  for  Hatach,  one  of  the  king's 
chamberlains,  whom  he  had  appointed  to  attend 
upon  her,  and  gave  him  a  connnandnient  to  Mor- 
decai, to  know  what  it  was,  and  why  it  was. 


426  BIBLE  STORIES 

So  Hatach  went  forth  to  ^lordecai  unto  the 
street  of  the  city,  which  was  before  the  king's 
gate.  And  Mordecai  told  him  of  all  that  had  hap- 
pened unto  him,  and  of  the  sum  of  the  money  that 
Haman  had  promised  to  pay  to  the  king's  treas- 
uries for  the  Jews,  to  destroy  them.  Also  he  gave 
him  the  copy  of  the  writing  of  the  decree  that  was 
given  at  Shushan  to  destroy  them,  to  shew  it  unto 
Esther,  and  to  declare  it  unto  her,  and  to  charge 
her  that  she  should  go  in  unto  the  king,  to  make 
supplication  unto  him,  and  to  make  request  be- 
fore him  for  her  people. 

And  Hatach  came  and  told  Esther  the  words 
of  Mordecai. 

Again  Esther  spake  unto  Hatach,  and  gave  him 
conmiandment  unto  Mordecai,  "All  the  king's 
servants,  and  the  people  of  the  king's  provinces, 
do  know,  that  whosoever,  whether  man  or  woman, 
shall  come  unto  the  king  into  the  inner  court,  who 
is  not  called  there  is  one  law  of  his  to  put  him  to 
death,  except  such  to  whom  the  king  shall  hold 
out  the  golden  sceptre,  that  he  may  live:  but  I 
have  not  been  called  to  come  in  unto  the  king 
these  thirty  days." 

And  they  told  to  Mordecai  Esther's  words. 

Then  Mordecai  commanded  to  answer  Esther, 
"Think  not  with  thyself  that  thou  shalt  escape 
in  the  king's  house,  more  than  all  the  Jews.  For 
if  thou  altogether  boldest  thy  peace  at  this  time, 


THE   GOLDEN  SCEPTRE  427 

then  shall  there  enlarj^ement  and  deliverance  arise 
to  the  Jews  from  another  place;  but  thou  and  thy 
father's  house  shall  be  destroyed.  And  who  know- 
eth  whether  thou  art  come  to  the  kingdom  for 
such  a  time  as  this? " 

Then  Esther  bade  them  return  Mordecai  this 
answer,  "Go,  gather  together  all  the  Jews  that 
are  present  in  Shushan,  and  fast  ye  for  me,  and 
neither  eat  nor  drink  three  days,  night  or  day. 
I  also  and  my  maidens  will  fast  likewise;  and  so 
will  I  go  in  unto  the  king,  which  is  not  according 
to  the  law.   And  if  I  perish,  I  perish." 

So  Mordecai  went  his  way,  and  did  according 
to  all  that  Esther  had  commanded  him. 

Esther,  4 

THE  GOLDEN  SCEPTRE 

Now  it  came  to  pass  on  the  third  day,  that  Esther 
put  on  her  royal  apparel,  and  stood  in  the  inner 
court  of  the  king's  house,  over  against  the  king's 
house.  And  the  king  sat  upon  his  royal  throne  in 
the  royal  house,  over  against  the  gate  of  the  house. 

And  it  was  so,  when  the  king  saw  Esther  the 
queen  standing  in  the  court,  that  she  obtained 
favour  in  his  sight.  And  tlie  king  hold  out  to 
Esther  the  golden  sceptre  that  was  in  his  hand. 
So  Esther  drew  near,  and  touched  the  top  of  the 
sceptre. 


428  BIBLE  STORIES 

Then  said  the  king  unto  her,  "What  wilt  thou, 
queen  Esther?  and  what  is  thy  request?  it  shall  be 
even  given  thee  to  the  half  of  the  kingdom." 

And  Esther  answered,  "If  it  seem  good  unto 
the  king,  let  the  king  and  Haman  come  this  day 
unto  the  banquet  that  I  have  prepared  for  him." 

Then  the  king  said,  "Cause  Haman  to  make 
haste,  that  he  may  do  as  Esther  hath  said."  So 
the  king  and  Haman  came  to  the  banquet  that 
Esther  had  prepared. 

And  the  king  said  unto  Esther  at  the  banquet 
of  wine,  "What  is  thy  petition?  and  it  shall  be 
granted  thee:  and  what  is  thy  request?  even  to 
the  half  of  the  kingdom  it  shall  be  performed." 

Then  answered  Esther,  and  said,  "INIy  petition 
and  my  request  is;  if  I  have  found  favour  in  the 
sight  of  the  king,  and  if  it  please  the  king  to  grant 
my  petition,  and  to  perform  my  request,  let  the 
king  and  Haman  come  to  the  banquet  that  I  shall 
prepare  for  them,  and  I  will  do  to  morrow  as  the 
king  hath  said." 

Esther,  5 

THE  GALLOWS  FIFTY   CUBITS    HIGH 

Then  went  Haman  forth  that  day  joyful  and 
with  a  glad  heart:  but  when  Haman  saw  Morde- 
cai  in  the  king's  gate,  that  he  stood  not  up,  nor 
moved  for  him,  he  was  full  of  indignation  against 


I 


MORDECAI  AND   HAMAN         429 

Mordecai.  Nevertheless  Ilaman  refrained  him- 
self: and  when  he  came  home,  he  sent  and  called 
for  his  friends,  and  Zeresh  his  wife. 

And  Haman  told  them  of  the  fclory  of  his  riches, 
and  the  multitude  of  his  children,  and  all  the 
things  wherein  the  king  had  promoted  him,  and 
how  he  had  advanced  him  above  the  princes  and 
servants  of  the  king.  Haman  said  moreover, 
"Yea,  Esther  the  queen  did  let  no  man  come  in 
with  the  king  unto  the  banquet  that  she  had  pre- 
pared but  myself ;  and  to  morrow  am  I  invited  unto 
her  also  with  the  king.  Yet  all  this  availeth  me 
nothing,  so  long  as  I  see  Mordecai  the  Jew  sitting 
at  the  king's  gate." 

Then  said  Zeresh  his  wife  and  all  his  friends 
unto  him,  "Let  a  gallows  be  made  of  fifty  cubits 
high,  and  to  morrow  speak  thou  unto  the  king 
that  Mordecai  may  be  hanged  thereon.  Then  go 
thou  in  merrily  with  the  king  unto  the  banquet." 

And  the  thing  pleased  Haman;  and  he  caused 
the  gallow^s  to  be  made. 

Esther,  5 

THE  IMAN  WHOM  THE  KING 
DELIGHTED  TO   HONOUR 

On  that  night  could  not  the  king  sleep,  and  he 
commanded  to  bring  the  book  of  records  of  the 
chronicles;  and  they  were  read  before  the  king. 


430  BIBLE  STORIES 

And  it  was  found  written,  that  Mordecai  had  told 
of  Bigthan  and  Teresh,  two  of  the  king's  cham- 
berlains, the  keepers  of  the  door,  who  sought  to 
lay  hand  on  the  king  Ahasuerus. 

And  the  king  said,  "What  honour  and  dignity 
hath  been  done  to  Mordecai  for  this?  "  Then  said 
the  king's  servants  that  ministered  unto  him, 
"There  is  nothing  done  for  him." 

And  the  king  said,  "Who  is  in  the  court?"  Now 
Haman  was  come  into  the  outward  court  of  the 
king's  house,  to  speak  unto  the  king  to  hang  Mor- 
decai on  the  gallows  that  he  had  prepared  for 
him.  And  the  king's  servants  said  unto  him, 
"Behold,  Haman  standeth  in  the  court."  And 
the  king  said,  "Let  him  come  in." 

So  Haman  came  in.  And  the  king  said  unto 
him,  "  What  shall  be  done  unto  the  man  whom 
the  king  delighteth  to  honour?"  Now  Haman 
thought  in  his  heart,  "To  whom  would  the  king 
delight  to  do  honour  more  than  to  myself?" 

And  Haman  answered  the  king,  "For  the  man 
whom  the  king  delighteth  to  honour,  let  the 
royal  apparel  be  brought  which  the  king  useth  to 
wear,  and  the  horse  that  the  king  rideth  upon,  and 
the  crown  royal  which  is  set  upon  his  head.  And 
let  this  apparel  and  horse  be  delivered  to  the  hand 
of  one  of  the  king's  most  noble  princes,  that  they 
may  array  the  man  withal  whom  the  king  de- 
lighteth to  honour,  and  bring  him  on  horseback 


MORDECAI  AND  HAMAN         431 

through  the  street  of  the  city,  and  proclaim  before 
him,  'Thus  shall  il  be  done  to  the  man  whom  the 
king  delighteth  to  honour.'" 

Then  the  king  said  to  Haman,  "Make  haste, 
and  take  the  apparel  and  the  horse,  as  thou  hast 
said,  and  do  even  so  to  Mordecai  the  Jew,  that 
sitteth  at  the  king's  gate.  Let  nothing  fail  of  all 
that  thou  hast  spoken." 

Then  took  Haman  the  apparel  and  the  horse, 
and  arrayed  IMordecai,  and  brought  him  on  horse- 
back through  the  street  of  the  city,  and  proclaimed 
before  him,  "Thus  shall  it  be  done  unto  the  man 
whom  the  king  delighteth  to  honour." 

And  Mordecai  came  again  to  the  king's  gate. 
But  Haman  hasted  to  his  house  mourning,  and 
having  his  head  covered. 

And  Haman  told  Zeresh  his  wife  and  all  his 
friends  every  thing  that  had  befallen  him.  Then 
said  his  wise  men  and  Zeresh  his  wife  unto  him, 
"If  Mordecai  be  of  the  seed  of  the  Jews,  before 
whom  thou  hast  begun  to  fall,  thou  shalt  not 
prevail  against  hun,  but  shalt  surely  fall  before 
him." 

And  while  they  were  yet  talking  with  him,  came 
the  king's  chamberlains,  and  hasted  to  bring 
Haman  unto  the  banquet  that  Esther  had  pre- 
pared. 

Esther,  6 


432  BIBLE  STORIES 

QUEEN  ESTHER'S  FEAST 

So  the  king  and  Haman  came  to  banquet  with 
Esther  the  queen.  And  the  king  said  again  unto 
Esther  on  the  second  day  at  the  banquet  of  wine, 
*'  What  is  thy  petition,  queen  Esther?  and  it  shall  be 
granted  thee:  and  what  is  thy  request?  and  it  shall 
be  performed,  even  to  the  half  of  the  kingdom." 

Then  Esther  the  queen  answered  and  said,  "If 
I  have  found  favour  in  thy  sight,  O  king,  and  if  it 
please  the  king,  let  my  life  be  given  me  at  my 
petition,  and  my  people  at  my  request.  For  we 
are  sold,  I  and  my  people,  to  be  destroyed,  to  be 
slain,  and  to  perish.  But  if  we  had  been  sold  for 
bondmen  and  bondwomen,  I  had  held  my  tongue, 
for  our  affliction  is  not  to  be  compared  with  the 
king's  damage." 

Then  the  king  Ahasuerus  answered  and  said 
unto  Esther  the  queen,  "Who  is  he,  and  where  is 
he,  that  durst  presume  in  his  heart  to  do  so?  " 

And  Esther  said,  "The  adversary  and  enemy 
is  this  wicked  Haman." 

Then  Haman  was  afraid  before  the  king  and  the 
queen. 

And  the  king  arising  from  the  banquet  of  wine 
in  his  wrath  went  into  the  palace  garden.  And 
Haman  stood  up  to  make  request  for  his  life  to 
Esther  the  queen;  for  he  saw  that  there  was  evil 
determined  against  him  by  the  king. 


ESTllKU    ACClSlNci    IIAMAN 


QUEEN  ESTHER'S  FEAST  433 

Then  the  kin^?  returned  out  of  the  palace  gar- 
den into  the  place  of  the  banquet  of  wine;  and 
Hainan  was  fallen  upon  the  couch  whereon  Esther 
was.  Then  said  the  king,  "  Will  he  force  the  queen 
also  before  me  in  the  house?"  As  the  word  went 
out  of  the  king's  mouth,  they  covered  Haman's 
face. 

And  Harbonah,  one  of  the  chamberlains,  said 
before  the  king,  "Behold  also,  the  gallows  fifty 
cubits  high,  which  Haman  had  made  for  Morde- 
cai,  who  had  spoken  good  for  the  king,  standeth 
in  the  house  of  Haman." 

Then  the  king  said,  "Hang  him  thereon." 

So  they  hanged  Haman  on  the  gallows  that  he 
had  prepared  for  Mordecai.  Then  was  the  king's 
wrath  pacified. 

Esther,  7 

Another  story  of  Queen  Esther  is  "  The  King's  Ring,  and 
How  the  Jews  Were  Saved,"  Esther,  chaps.  8,  9,  10 


l^mr  (D  ^t  Eatknts 


If  it  had  not  been  the  Lord  who  was  on  our  side,  now  may 
Israel  say; 

If  it  had  not  been  the  Lord  who  was  on  our  side,  when  men 
rose  up  against  its: 

Then  they  had  swallowed  us  up  quick,  when  their  wrath  was 
kindled  against  u^: 

Then  the  loaters  had  ovcrwiielmed  us,  the  stream  had  gone  over 
our  soul: 

Then  the  proud  waters  had  gone  over  our  soid. 

Blessed  be  the  Ijord,  wlw  hath  not  given  us  a^  a  prey  to  their 
teeth. 

Our  soul  is  escaped  as  a  bird  out  of  the  snare  of  the  fowlers: 
the  snare  is  broken,  and  we  are  escaped. 

Our  help  is  in  the  name  of  the  Lord,  who  mxide  heaven  and 
earth. 

PsAi^i  Vl\ 


HEAR  O  YE  NATIONS! 

LiAR  the  word  of  the  Lord,  O  ye  nations, 
and  declare  it  in  the  isles  afar  off,  and 
'say,  he  that  scattered  Israel  will  gather 
him,  and  keep  him,  as  a  shepherd  doth  his 
flock.  For  the  Lord  hath  redeemed  Jacob,  and 
ransomed  him  from  the  hand  of  him  that  was 
stronger  than  he. 

Jeremiah,  31 

And  it  shall  come  to  pass  in  that  day,  that  the 
Lord  shall  set  his  hand  again  the  second  time 
to  recover  the  remnant  of  his  people,  which  shall 
be  left,  from  Assyria,  and  from  Egypt,  and  from 
Pathros,  and  from  Cush,  and  from  El  am,  and 
from  Shinar,  and  from  Hamath,  and  from  the 
islands  of  the  sea.  And  he  shall  set  up  an  ensign 
for  the  nations,  and  shall  assemble  the  outcasts  of 
Israel,  and  gather  together  the  dispersed  of  Judah 
from  the  four  corners  of  the  earth. 

Isaiah,  11 

Thus  saith  the  Lord  God,  Behold,  I  will  lift 
up  mine  hand  to  the  Gentiles,  and  set  up  my 
standard  to  the  people:  and  they  shall  bring  thy 
sons  in  their  armSj  and  thy  daughters  shall  be 


438  BIBLE  STORIES 

carried  upon  their  shoulders.  And  kings  shall  be 
thy  nursing  fathers,  and  their  queens  thy  nursing 
mothers:  they  shall  bow  down  to  thee  with  their 
face  toward  the  earth,  and  lick  up  the  dust  of 
thy  feet;  and  thou  shalt  know  that  I  am  the 
Lord:  for  they  shall  not  be  ashamed  that  wait  for 
me. 

Shall  the  prey  be  taken  from  the  mighty,  or  the 
lawful  captive  delivered?  But  thus  saith  the 
Lord,  Even  the  captives  of  the  mighty  shall  be 
taken  away,  and  the  prey  of  the  terrible  shall  be 
delivered:  for  I  will  contend  with  him  that  con- 
tendeth  with  thee,  and  I  will  save  thy  children. 
And  I  will  feed  them  that  oppress  thee  with  their 
own  flesh;  and  they  shall  be  drunken  with  their 
own  blood,  as  with  sweet  wine:  and  all  flesh  shall 
know  that  I  the  Lord  am  thy  Saviour  and  thy 
Redeemer,  the  mighty  One  of  Jacob. 

Isaiah,  49 

Therefore  hear  now  this,  thou  afflicted,  and 
drunken,  but  not  with  wine.  Thus  saith  thy 
Lord  the  Lord,  and  thy  God  that  pleadeth  the 
cause  of  his  people.  Behold,  I  have  taken  out  of 
thine  hand  the  cup  of  trembling,  even  the  dregs 
of  the  cup  of  my  fury;  thou  shalt  no  more  drink 
it  again.  But  I  will  put  it  into  the  hand  of  them 
that  afflict  thee;  which  have  said  to  thy  soul, 
Bow  down,  that  we  may  go  over:  and  thou  hast 


HEAR  O   YE   NATIONS  439 

laid  thy  body  as  the  ground,  and  as  the  street,  to 
them  that  went  over.  j  ^, 

For  the  nation  and  kingdom  that  will  not 
serve  thee  shall  perish;  yea,  those  nations  shall 
be  utterly  wasted.  The  glory  of  Lebanon  shall 
come  unto  tliee,  the  fir  tree,  the  pine  tree,  and  the 
box  together,  to  beautify  the  place  of  my  sanctu- 
ary; and  I  will  make  the  place  of  my  feet  glorious. 
The  sons  also  of  them  that  afflicted  thee  shall  come 
bending  unto  thee;  and  all  they  that  despised 
thee  shall  bow  themselves  down  at  the  soles  of 
thy  feet;  and  they  shall  call  thee.  The  city  of  the 
Lord,  The  Zion  of  the  Holy  One  of  Israel. 

Isaiah,  60 

Behold,  the  days  come,  saith  the  Lord,  that  I 
will  perform  that  good  thing  which  I  have  prom- 
ised unto  the  house  of  Israel  and  to  the  house  of 
Judah.  In  those  days,  and  at  that  time,  will  I  cause 
the  Branch  of  righteousness  to  grow  up  unto 
David;  and  he  shall  execute  judgment  and  right- 
eousness in  the  land.  In  those  days  shall  Judah  be 
saved,  and  Jerusalem  shall  dwell  safely :  and  this  is 
the  name  wherewith  she  shall  be  called,  The  Lord 
our  Righteousness.  For  thus  saith  the  Lord;  David 
shall  never  want  a  man  to  sit  upon  the  liirono  of 

the  house  of  Israel.  t  oo 

Jeremiah,  33 


440  BIBLE   STORIES 

And  there  shall  come  forth  a  rod  out  of  the 
stem  of  Jesse,  and  a  Branch  shall  grow  out  of  his 
roots.  And  the  spirit  of  the  Lord  shall  rest  upon 
him,  the  spirit  of  wisdom  and  understanding,  the 
spirit  of  counsel  and  might,  the  spirit  of  knowl- 
edge and  of  the  fear  of  the  Lord ;  and  shall  make 
him  of  quick  understanding ,  in  the  fear  of  the 
Lord. 

And  he  shall  not  judge  after  the  sight  of  his 
eyes,  neither  reprove  after  the  hearing  of  his  ears. 
But  with  righteousness  shall  he  judge  the  poor, 
and  reprove  with  equity  for  the  meek  of  the  earth : 
and  he  shall  smite  the  earth  with  the  rod  of  his 
mouth,  and  with  the  breath  of  his  lips  shall  he  slay 
the  wicked.  And  righteousness  shall  be  the  girdle 
of  his  loins,  and  faithfulness  the  girdle  of  his 
reins. 

The  wolf  also  shall  dwell  with  the  lamb,  and 
the  leopard  shall  lie  dowii  with  the  kid;  and  the 
calf  and  the  young  lion  and  the  fatling  together; 
and  a  little  child  shall  lead  them.  And  the  cow  and 
the  bear  shall  feed;  their  young  ones  shall  lie 
down  together:  and  the  lion  shall  eat  straw  like 
the  ox.  And  the  sucking  child  shall  play  on  the 
hole  of  the  asp,  and  the  weaned  child  shall  put  his 
hand  on  the  cockatrice'  den. 

They  shall  not  hurt  nor  destroy  in  all  my  holy 
mountain:  for  the  earth  shall  be  full  of  the  knowl- 
edge of  the  Lord,  as  the  waters  cover  the  sea. 


HEAR  O   YE   NATIONS  441 

And  in  that  day  there  shall  be  a  root  of  Jesse, 
which  shall  stand  for  an  ensign  of  the  peojile;  to 
it  shall  the  Gentiles  seek:  and  his  rest  shall  be 
glorious. 

Isaiah,  11 

And  I  will  pour  upon  the  house  of  David,  and 
upon  the  inhabitants  of  Jerusalem,  the  spirit  of 
grace  and  of  supplications:  and  they  shall  look 
upon  him  whom  they  have  pierced,  and  they  shall 
mourn  for  him,  as  one  mourneth  for  his  only  son, 
and  shall  be  in  bitterness  for  him,  as  one  that  is 
in  bitterness  for  his  firstborn.  In  that  day  shall 
there  be  a  great  mourning  in  Jerusalem,  as  the 
mourning  of  Hadadrimmon  in  the  valley  of 
Megiddon.  And  the  land  shall  mourn,  every 
family  apart. 

Zeciiariah,  12 

In  that  day  there  shall  be  a  fountain  opened  to 
the  house  of  David  and  to  the  inhabitants  of 
Jerusalem  for  sin  and  for  uncleanness. 

And  it  shall  come  to  pass  in  that  day,  saith  the 
Lord  of  hosts,  that  I  will  cut  off  the  names  of  the 
idols  out  of  the  land,  and  they  shall  no  more  be 
remembered:  and  also  I  will  cause  the  prophets 
and  the  unclean  spirit  to  pass  out  of  the  land. 

Zeciiariah,  13 


442  BIBLE  STORIES 

And  it  shall  come  to  pass  in  the  last  days,  that 
the  mountain  of  the  Lord's  house  shall  be  estab- 
lished in  the  top  of  the  mountains,  and  shall  be 
exalted  above  the  hills;  and  all  nations  shall  flow 
unto  it.  And  many  people  shall  go  and  say,  Come 
ye,  and  let  us  go  up  to  the  mountain  of  the  Lord, 
to  the  house  of  the  God  of  Jacob;  and  he  will  teach 
us  of  his  ways,  and  we  will  walk  in  his  paths :  for 
out  of  Zion  shall  go  forth  the  law,  and  the  word 
of  the  Lord  from  Jerusalem. 

And  he  shall  judge  among  the  nations,  and  shall 
rebuke  many  people:  and  they  shall  beat  their 
swords  into  plowshares,  and  their  spears  into 
pruninghooks.  Nation  shall  not  lift  up  sword 
against  nation,  neither  shall  they  learn  war  any 
more. 

O  house  of  Jacob,  come  ye,  and  let  us  walk  in 
the  light  of  the  Lord. 

Isaiah,  2 

0  praise  the  Lord,  all  ye  nations:  praise  him,  all 
ye  people.  For  his  merciful  kindness  is  great  toward 
us:  and  the  truth  of  the  Lord  endureth  for  ever. 
Praise  ye  the  Lord. 

Psalm  117 


Being  selections  from  the  many  Prophecies  in 
The  Old  Testament 

Lord,  thou  art  God,  which  hast  made  heaven,  and  earth,  and 
the  sea,  and  all  thai  in  them  is; 

Wfio  by  the  mouth  of  thi/  servant  David  hast  said,  "  Why  did 
the  heathen  rage,  and  the  people  imagine  vain  things  ? 

"  The  kings  of  the  earth  stood  up,  and  the  rulers  urre  gathered 
together  against  the  Lord,  and  against  his  Christ  (Mess^iah).'" 

For  of  a  truth  against  thy  holy  child  Jesus,  whom  thou  hast 
anointed,  both  Herod,  and  Pontius  Pilate,  unth  the  Gentiles,  and 
the  people  of  Israel,  were  gathered  together. 

For  to  do  whatsoever  thy  hand  and  thy  counsel  determined 
before  to  be  done. 

Acts,  4 


THE  PROMISE 

And  God  said  unto  the  Serpent 

^ECAUSE  thou  hast  done  this,  thou  art 
I  cursed  above  all  cattle,  and  above  every 
beast  of  the  field;  upon  thy  belly  shalt 
thou  go,  and  dust  shalt  thou  eat  all  the  days  of 
thy  life.  And  I  will  jjut  enmity  between  thee 
and  the  woman,  and  between  thy  seed  and  her 
seed ;  it  shall  bruise  thy  head,  and  thou  shalt  bruise 
his  heel. 

Genesis,  3 

And  God  said  unto  Abraham 

In  blessing  I  will  bless  thee,  and  in  multiplying 
I  will  multiply  thy  seed  as  the  stars  of  the  heaven, 
and  as  the  sand  which  is  upon  the  sea  shore;  and 
thy  seed  shall  possess  the  gate  of  his  enemies.  And 
in  thy  seed  shall  all  the  nations  of  the  earth  be 
blessed;  because  thou  hast  obej'ed  my  voice. 

Genesis,  22 

And  Jacob  blessed  Judah 

Judah,  thou  art  he  whom  thy  brethren  shall 
praise:  thy  hand  shall  be  in  the  neck  of  thine  ene- 
mies; thy  father's  children  shall  bow  down  before 


446  BIBLE  STORIES 

thee.  Judah  is  a  lion's  whelp:  from  the  prey,  my 
son,  thou  art  gone  up:  he  stooped  down,  he 
couched  as  a  lion,  and  as  an  old  lion;  who  shall 
rouse  him  up?  The  sceptre  shall  not  depart  from 
Judah,  nor  a  lawgiver  until  Shiloh  come;  and 
unto  him  shall  the  gathering  of  the  people  be. 

Genesis,  49 

And  Balaam  prophesied 

He  hath  said,  which  heard  the  words  of  God, 
and  knew  the  knowledge  of  the  most  High,  which 
saw  the  vision  of  the  Almighty,  falling  into  a 
trance,  but  having  his  eyes  open :  I  shall  see  him, 
but  not  now:  I  shall  behold  him,  but  not  nigh: 
there  shall  come  a  Star  out  of  Jacob,  and  a  Sceptre 
shall  rise  out  of  Israel. 

Numbers,  24 

And  Moses  said 

The  Lord  said  unto  me.  They  have  well  spoken 
that  which  they  have  spoken.  I  will  raise  them  up 
a  Prophet  from  among  their  brethren,  like  unto 
thee,  and  will  put  my  words  in  his  mouth;  and  he 
shall  speak  unto  them  all  that  I  shall  command 
him.  And  it  shall  come  to  pass,  that  whosoever 
will  not  hearken  unto  my  words  which  he  shall 
speak  in  my  name,  I  will  require  it  of  him. 

Deuteronomy,  18 


THE  MESSENGER  447 

And  God  said  unto  David 

And  thine  house  and  thy  kingdom  shall  be  es- 
tablished for  ever  before  thee:  thy  throne  shall 
be  established  for  ever. 

2  Samuel,  7 

Behold,  the  days  come,  saith  the  Lord,  that  I 
will  raise  unto  David  a  righteous  Branch,  and  a 
King  shall  reign  and  prosper,  and  shall  execute 
judgment  and  justice  in  the  earth.  In  his  days 
Judah  shall  be  saved,  and  Israel  shall  dwell  safely : 
and  this  is  his  name  whereby  he  shall  be  called, 
THE  LORD   OUR  RIGHTEOUSNESS. 

Jeremiah,  23 

Behold  the  man  whose  name  is  The  BRANCH; 
and  he  shall  grow  up  out  of  his  place,  and  he  shall 
build  the  temple  of  the  Lord.  Even  he  shall  build 
the  temple  of  the  Lord;  and  he  shall  bear  the 
glory,  and  shall  sit  and  rule  upon  his  throne;  and 
he  shall  be  a  priest  upon  his  throne. 

Zechariah,  6 

THE  MESSENGER 

Comfort  ye,  comfort  ye  my  people,  saith  your 
God.  Speak  ye  comfortably  to  Jerusalem,  and  cry 
unto  her,  that  her  warfare  is  accomplished,  that 


448  BIBLE  STORIES 

her  iniquity  is  pardoned:  for  she  hath  received 
of  the  Lord's  hand  double  for  all  her  sins. 

The  voice  of  him  that  crieth  in  the  wilderness. 
Prepare  ye  the  way  of  the  Lord,  make  straight 
in  the  desert  a  highway  for  our  God.  Every  val- 
ley shall  be  exalted,  and  every  mountain  and  hill 
shall  be  made  low:  and  the  crooked  shall  be  made 
straight,  and  the  rough  places  plain.  And  the 
glory  of  the  Lord  shall  be  revealed,  and  all  flesh 
shall  see  it  together:  for  the  mouth  of  the  Lord 
hath  spoken  it. 

Isaiah,  40 

Behold,  I  will  send  my  messenger,  and  he  shall 
prepare  the  way  before  me :  and  the  Lord ,  whom 
ye  seek,  shall  suddenly  come  to  his  temple,  even 
the  messenger  of  the  covenant,  whom  ye  delight 
in:  behold,  he  shall  come,  saith  the  Lord  of  hosts. 

But  who  may  abide  the  day  of  his  coming?  and 
who  shall  stand  when  he  appeareth?  for  he  is  like 
a  refiner's  fire,  and  like  fullers'  soap.  And  he  shall 
sit  as  a  refiner  and  purifier  of  silver:  and  he  shall 
purify  the  sons  of  Levi,  and  purge  them  as  gold 
and  silver,  that  they  may  offer  unto  the  Lord  an 
offering  in  righteousness. 

Malaciii,  3 

Behold,  I  will  send  you  Elijah  the  prophet  be- 
fore the  coming  of  the  great  and  dreadful  day  of 


HIS   BIRTH  449 

the  Lord.  And  he  sh<all  turn  the  heart  of  the 
fathers  to  the  children,  and  the  heart  of  the  chil- 
dren to  their  fathers,  lest  I  come  and  smite  the 
earth  with  a  curse. 

Malaciii,  4 


HIS  BIRTH 

Who  hath  ascended  up  into  heaven,  or  de- 
scended? who  hath  gathered  the  wind  in  his  fists? 
who  hath  bound  the  waters  in  a  garment?  who 
hath  established  all  the  ends  of  the  earth?  what  is 
his  name,  and  what  is  his  son's  name,  if  thou 
canst  tell? 

Proverbs,  30 

But  thou,  Beth-lehem  Ephratah,  though  thou 
be  little  among  the  thousands  of  Judah,  yet  out 
of  thee  shall  he  come  forth  unto  me  that  is  to  be 
ruler  in  Israel;  whose  goings  forth  have  been 
from  of  old,  from  everlasting. 

MiCAii,  5 

Therefore  tlic  Lord  himself  shall  give  you  a  sign; 
Behold,  a  virgin  shall  conceive,  and  bear  a  son, 
and  shall  call  his  name  Immanuel  (that  is  God 
with  us). 

Isaiah,  7 


450  BIBLE  STORIES 

For  unto  us  a  child  is  born,  unto  us  a  son  is 
given:  and  the  government  shall  be  upon  his 
shoulder:  and  his  name  shall  be  called  Wonder- 
ful, Counsellor,  The  mighty  God,  Father  of  Eter- 
nity, The  Prince  of  Peace. 

Of  the  increase  of  his  government  and  peace 
there  shall  be  no  end,  upon  the  throne  of  David, 
and  upon  his  kingdom,  to  order  it,  and  to  estab- 
lish it  with  judgment  and  with  justice  from  hence- 
forth even  for  ever.  The  zeal  of  the  Lord  of 
hosts  will  perform  this. 

Isaiah,  9 

HIS  MESSAGE 

"Behold  my  servant,  whom  I  uphold;  mine 
elect,  in  whom  my  soul  delighteth ;  I  have  put  my 
spirit  upon  him:  he  shall  bring  forth  judgment  to 
the  Gentiles. 

He  shall  not  cry,  nor  lift  up,  nor  cause  his  voice 
to  be  heard  in  the  street.  A  bruised  reed  shall  he 
not  break,  and  the  smoking  flax  shall  he  not 
quench:  he  shall  bring  forth  judgment  unto  truth. 
He  shall  not  fail  nor  be  discouraged,  till  he  have 
set  judgment  in  the  earth:  and  the  isles  shall  wait 
for  his  law. 

Thus  saith  God  the  Lord,  he  that  created  the 
heavens,  and  stretched  them  out;  he  that  spread 
forth  the  earth,  and  that  which  cometh  out  of  it; 


HIS  MESSAGE  451 

he  that  giveth  breath  unto  the  people  upon  it,  and 
spirit  to  them  that  walk  therein :  I  the  Lord  have 
called  thee  in  righteousness,  and  will  hold  thine 
hand,  and  will  keep  thee,  and  give  thee  for  a  cove- 
nant of  the  people,  for  a  light  of  the  Gentiles;  to 
open  the  blind  eyes,  to  bring  out  the  prisoners 
from  the  prison,  and  them  that  sit  in  darkness 
out  of  the  prison  house. 

Isaiah,  42 

Ho,  every  one  that  thirsteth,  come  ye  to  the 
waters,  and  he  that  hath  no  money;  come  ye,  buy, 
and  eat;  yea,  come,  buy  wine  and  milk  without 
money  and  without  price. 

Wherefore  do  ye  spend  money  for  that  which  is 
not  bread.'*  and  your  labour  for  that  which  satis- 
fieth  not.?  hearken  diligently  unto  me,  and  eat  ye 
that  v/hich  is  good,  and  let  your  soul  delight  itself 
in  fatness. 

Incline  your  ear,  and  come  unto  me:  hear,  and 
your  soul  shall  live;  and  I  will  make  an  everlasting 
covenant  with  you,  even  the  sure  mercies  of  David. 

Behold,  I  have  given  him  for  a  witness  to  the 
people,  a  leader  and  commander  to  the  people. 

Behold,  thou  shalt  call  a  nation  that  thou  know- 
est  not,  and  nations  that  knew  not  thee  shall  run 
unto  thee  because  of  the  Lord  thy  God,  and  for 
the  Holy  One  of  Israel;  for  he  hath  glorified  thee. 

Isaiah,  55 


452  BIBLE  STORIES 

Behold,  my  servant  shall  deal  prudently,  he 
shall  be  exalted  and  lifted  up  and  shall  be  very 
high. 

As  many  were  astonied  at  thee;  (his  visage  was 
so  marred  more  than  any  man,  and  his  form  more 
than  the  sons  of  men:)  so  shall  he  sprinkle  many 
nations ;  the  kings  shall  shut  their  mouths  at  him : 
for  that  which  had  not  been  told  them  shall  they 
see;  and  that  which  they  had  not  heard  shall  they 
consider. 

Isaiah,  52 

Rejoice  greatly,  O  daughter  of  Zion;  shout,  O 
daughter  of  Jerusalem :  behold,  thy  King  cometh 
unto  thee:  he  is  just,  and  having  salvation;  lowly, 
and  riding  upon  an  ass,  and  upon  a  colt  the  foal 
of  an  ass. 

Zeciiariaii,  9 

TMien  I  came,  was  there  no  man?  when  I  called, 
was  there  none  to  answer?  Is  my  hand  shortened 
at  all,  that  it  cannot  redeem?  or  have  I  no  power 
to  deliver?  behold,  at  my  rebuke  I  dry  up  the  sea, 
I  make  the  rivers  a  wilderness :  their  fish  stinketh, 
because  there  is  no  water,  and  dieth  for  thirst.  I 
clothe  the  heavens  with  blackness,  and  I  make 
sackcloth  their  covering. 

The  Lord  God  hath  given  me  the  tongue  of  the 
learned,  that  I  should  know  how  to  speak  a  word 


HIS   MESSAGE  453 

in  season  to  him  tliat  is  weary:  he  wakeneth 
morning  by  morning,  he  wakeneth  mine  ear  to 
hear  as  the  learned. 

The  Lord  God  hath  opened  mine  ear,  and  I 
was  not  rebelHous,  neither  turned  away  back.  I 
gave  my  back  to  the  smit  m's,  and  my  cheeks  to 
them  that  plucked  off  the  hair :  I  hid  not  my  face 
from  shame  and  spitting. 

For  the  Lord  God  will  help  me;  therefore  shall 
I  not  be  confounded:  therefore  hav^e  I  set  my 
face  like  a  flint,  and  I  know  that  I  shall  not  be 
ashamed.  He  is  near  that  justifieth  me;  who  will 
contend  with  me.'^  let  us  stand  together:  who  is 
mine  adversary.^  let  him  come  near  to  me.  Be- 
hold, the  Lord  God  will  help  me;  who  is  he  that 
shall  condemn  me.'^  lo,  they  all  shall  wax  old  as  a 
garment;  the  moth  shall  eat  them  up. 

Isaiah,  50 

And  now,  saith  the  Lord  that  formed  me  to  be 
his  servant,  to  bring  Jacob  again  to  him,  Tiiough 
Israel  be  not  gathered,  yet  shall  I  be  glorious  in 
the  eyes  of  the  Lord,  and  my  God  shall  be  my 
strength. 

And  he  said,  It  is  a  light  thing  that  thou  should- 
est  be  my  servant  to  raise  up  the  tribes  of  Jacob, 
and  to  restore  the  preserved  of  Israel:  I  will  also 
give  thee  for  a  light  to  tlie  Gentiles,  that  thou 
mayest  be  my  salvation  unto  the  end  of  the  earth. 


454  BIBLE  STORIES 

Thus  saith  the  Lord,  the  Redeemer  of  Israel, 
and  his  Holy  One,  to  him  whom  man  despiseth, 
to  him  whom  the  nation  abhorreth,  to  a  servant 
of  rulers,  Kings  shall  see  and  arise,  princes  also 
shall  worship,  because  of  the  Lord  that  is  faithful, 
and  the  Holy  One  of  Israel,  and  he  shall  choose 
thee. 

Thus  saith  the  Lord,  In  an  acceptable  time  have 
I  heard  thee,  and  in  a  day  of  salvation  have  I 
helped  thee:  and  I  will  preserve  thee,  and  give 
thee  for  a  covenant  of  the  people,  to  establish  the 
earth,  to  cause  to  inherit  the  desolate  heritages. 
That  thou  mayest  say  to  the  prisoners.  Go  forth; 
to  them  that  are  in  darkness.  Shew  yourselves. 
They  shall  feed  in  the  ways,  and  their  pastures 
shall  be  in  all  high  places.  They  shall  not  hunger 
nor  thirst;  neither  shall  the  heat  nor  sun  smite 
them:  for  he  that  hath  mercy  on  them  shall  lead 
them,  even  by  the  springs  of  water  shall  he  guide 
them.  And  I  will  make  all  my  mountains  a  way, 
and  my  highways  shall  be  exalted.  Behold,  these 
shall  come  from  far:  and,  lo,  these  from  the  north 
and  from  the  west;  and  these  from  the  land  of 
Sinim. 

Sing,  O  heavens;  and  be  joyful,  O  earth;  and 
break  forth  into  singing,  O  mountains:  for  the 
Lord  hath  comforted  his  people,  and  will  have 
mercy  upon  his  afflicted. 

ISAIAII,  49 


HIS  SACRIFICE  455 

HIS  SACRIFICE 

Why  do  the  heathen  rage,  and  the  people  im- 
agine a  vain  thing?  The  kings  of  the  earth  set 
themselves,  and  the  rulers  take  counsel  together, 
against  the  Lord,  and  against  his  anointed  (Mes- 
siah), saying,  Let  us  break  their  bands  asunder, 
and  cast  away  their  cords  from  us. 

He  that  sitteth  in  the  heavens  shall  laugh:  the 
Lord  shall  have  them  in  derision.  Then  shall  he 
speak  unto  them  in  his  wrath,  and  vex  them  in 
his  sore  displeasure.  Yet  have  I  set  my  king  upon 
my  holy  hill  of  Zion.  I  will  declare  the  decree:  the 
Lord  hath  said  unto  me.  Thou  art  my  Son;  this 
day  have  I  begotten  thee.  Ask  of  me,  and  I  shall 
give  thee  the  heathen  for  thine  inheritance,  and 
the  uttermost  parts  of  the  earth  for  thy  possession. 
Thou  shalt  break  them  with  a  rod  of  iron;  thou 
shalt  dash  them  in  pieces  like  a  potter's  vessel. 

Be  wise  now  therefore,  O  ye  kings :  be  instructed, 
ye  judges  of  the  earth.  Serve  the  Lord  with  fear, 
and  rejoice  with  trembling.  Kiss  the  Son,  lest  he 
be  angry,  and  ye  perish  from  the  way,  when  his 
wrath  is  kindled  but  a  little.  Blessed  are  all  they 
that  put  their  trust  in  him.  p  ^ 

Yea,  mine  own  familiar  friend,  in  whom  I 
trusted,  which  did  eat  of  my  bread,  hath  lifted 
up  his  heel  against  me.  p  ., 


456  BIBLE   STORIES 

Set  thou  a  wicked  man  over  him :  and  let  Satan 
stand  at  his  right  hand.  When  he  shall  be  judged, 
let  him  be  condemned :  and  let  his  prayer  become 
sin.  Let  his  days  be  few;  and  let  another  take  his 
office. 

Because  that  he  remembered  not  to  shew 
mercy,  but  persecuted  the  poor  and  needy  man, 
that  he  might  even  slay  the  broken  in  heart. 

Psalm  109 

And  I  said  unto  them,  If  ye  think  good,  give 
me  my  price;  and  if  not,  forbear.  So  they 
weighed  for  my  price  thirty  pieces  of  silver.  And 
the  Lord  said  unto  me.  Cast  it  unto  the  potter: 
a  goodly  price  that  I  was  priced  at  of  them.  And 
I  took  the  thirty  pieces  of  silver,  and  cast  them  to 
the  potter  in  the  house  of  the  Lord. 

Zechariah,  11 

My  God,  my  God,  why  hast  thou  forsaken  me? 
why  art  thou  so  far  from  helping  me,  and  from 
the  words  of  my  roaring? 

O  my  God,  I  cry  in  the  daytime,  but  thou  hear- 
est  not;  and  in  the  night  season,  and  am  not  silent. 

But  thou  art  holy,  O  thou  that  inhabitcst  the 
praises  of  Israel. 

Our  fathers  trusted  in  thee:  they  trusted,  and 
thou  didst  deliver  them. 


HIS  SACRIFICE  457 

They  cried  unto  tliee,  and  were  delivered:  they 
trusted  in  thee,  and  were  not  confounded. 

But  I  am  a  worm,  and  no  man;  a  reproach  of 
men,  and  despised  of  the  people. 

All  they  that  see  me  laugh  me  to  scorn:  they 
shoot  out  the  lip,  they  shake  the  head,  saying. 

He  trusted  on  the  Lord  that  he  would  deliver 
him:  let  him  deliver  him,  seeing  he  delighted  in 
him. 

Be  not  far  from  me;  for  trouble  is  near;  for 
there  is  none  to  help. 

Many  bulls  have  compassed  me :  strong  bulls  of 
Bashan  have  beset  me  round. 

They  gaped  upon  me  with  their  mouths,  as  a 
ravening  and  a  roaring  lion. 

I  am  poured  out  like  water,  and  all  my  bones 
are  out  of  joint:  my  heart  is  like  wax;  it  is  melted 
in  the  midst  of  my  bowels. 

My  strength  is  dried  up  like  a  potsherd;  and 
my  tongue  cleaveth  to  my  jaws;  and  thou  hast 
brought  me  into  the  dust  of  death. 

For  dogs  have  compassed  me:  the  assembly  of 
the  wicked  have  inclosed  me:  the}'  pierced  my 
hands  and  my  feet. 

I  may  tell  all  my  bones:  they  look  and  stare 
upon  me. 

They  part  my  garments  among  them,  and  cast 
lots  upon  my  vesture. 


458  BIBLE   STORIES 

But  be  not  thou  far  from  me,  O  Lord:  O  my 
strength,  haste  thee  to  help  me. 

DeHver  my  soul  from  the  sword;  my  dear  life 
from  the  power  of  the  dog. 

Save  me  from  the  lion's  mouth:  for  thou  hast 
answered  me  from  the  horns  of  the  wild  oxen. 

I  will  declare  thy  name  unto  my  brethren:  in 
the  midst  of  the  congregation  will  I  praise  thee. 

Ye  that  fear  the  Lord,  praise  him;  all  ye  the 
seed  of  Jacob,  glorify  him;  and  fear  him,  all  ye  the 
seed  of  Israel. 

For  he  hath  not  despised  nor  abhorred  the 

aflfliction  of  the  afflicted;  neither  hath  he  hid  his 

face  from  him;  but  when  he  cried  unto  him,  he 

heard. 

Psalm  22 

Hear  me,  O  Lord;  for  thy  lovingkindness  is 
good :  turn  unto  me  according  to  the  multitude  of 
thy  tender  mercies. 

And  hide  not  thy  face  from  thy  servant;  for  I 
am  in  trouble:  hear  me  speedily. 

Draw  nigh  unto  my  soul,  and  redeem  it:  de- 
liver me  because  of  mine  enemies. 

Thou  hast  known  my  reproach,  and  my  shame, 
and  my  dishonour:  mine  adversaries  are  all  be- 
fore thee. 

Reproach  hath  liroken  my  heart;  and  I  am  full 
of  heaviness:  and  I  looked  for  some  to  take  pity, 


HIS  SACRIFirK  4.VJ 

but  there  was  none;  and  for  comforters,  but  1 
foiiiul  none. 

They  gave  me  also  gall  for  my  meat;  and  in  my 
thirst  they  gave  me  vinegar  to  drink. 

1\SALM  ()l) 


And  one  shall  say  unto  him.  What  are  these 
wounds  in  thine  hands.-'  Then  he  shall  an.swer. 
Those  with  which  I  was  wounded  in  the  house  of 
my  friends. 

ZECIIAIilAM,  \[i 

"VMio  hath  believed  our  report?  and  to  whom  is 
the  arm  of  the  Lord  revealed?  For  he  shall  grow 
up  before  him  as  a  tender  i)lant,  and  as  a  root  out 
of  a  dry  ground:  he  hath  no  form  nor  eomelint,\ss; 
and  when  we  shall  see  him,  there  is  no  beauty  that 
we  should  desire  him.  He  is  desjjised  and  rejected 
of  men;  a  man  of  sorrows,  and  acqnaiiited  witii 
grief:  and  we  hid  as  it  were  our  faces  from  lilin ;  he 
was  despised,  and  we  esteenu'd  him  not. 

Surely  he  hath  borne  our  gi-iefs,  and  carried  our 
sorrows:  yet  we  did  esteem  him  stricken,  snn'tt«'n 
of  God,  and  afflicted.  But  he  was  woundetl  for  our 
transgressions,  he  was  bruised  for  our  ir.i;|iiilics: 
the  chastisement  of  our  peace  was  upon  him;  and 
with  his  stripes  we  are  healed.  .Ml  we  like  sheep 
have  gone  astray;  we  have  turned  every  one  tu 


460  BIBLE  STORIES 

his  own  way;  and  the  Lord  hath  laid  on  him  the 
iniquity  of  us  all. 

He  was  oppressed,  and  he  was  afflicted,  yet  he 
opened  not  his  mouth:  as  a  lamb  that  is  led  to 
the  slaughter,  and  as  a  sheep  before  her  shearers 
is  dumb,  so  he  opened  not  his  mouth.  By  op- 
pression and  judgment  he  was  taken  away,  and 
as  for  his  generation,  who  among  them  considered 
that  he  was  cut  off  out  of  the  land  of  the  liv- 
ing.'^ For  the  transgression  of  my  people  was  he 
stricken.  And  they  made  his  grave  with  the 
wicked,  and  with  a  rich  man  in  his  death;  although 
he  had  done  no  violence,  neither  was  anj''  deceit 
in  his  mouth. 

Yet  it  pleased  the  Lord  to  bruise  him;  he  hath 
put  him  to  grief:  when  thou  shalt  make  his  soul 
an  offering  for  sin,  he  shall  see  his  seed,  he  shall 
prolong  his  days,  and  the  pleasure  of  the  Lord 
shall  prosper  in  his  hand.  He  shall  see  of  the 
travail  of  his  soul,  and  shall  be  satisfied:  by  his 
knowledge  shall  my  righteous  servant  justify 
many;  for  he  shall  bear  their  iniquities.  Therefore 
will  I  divide  him  a  portion  with  the  great,  and  he 
shall  divide  the  spoil  with  the  strong;  because  he 
hath  poured  out  his  soul  unto  death:  and  he  was 
numbered  with  the  transgressors;  and  he  bare  the 
sin  of  many,  and  made  intercession  for  the  trans- 
gressors. 

Isaiah,  53 


THE  RESURRECTION  461 

THE  RESURRECTION 

I  HAVE  set  the  Lord  always  before  me:  because 
he  is  at  my  right  hand,  I  shall  not  be  moved. 
Therefore  my  heart  is  glad,  and  my  glory  re- 
joiceth:  my  flesh  also  shall  rest  in  hope.  For  thou 
wilt  not  abandon  my  soul  to  the  grave;  neither  wilt 
thou  suffer  thine  Holy  One  to  see  corruption.  Thou 
wilt  shew  me  the  path  of  life:  in  thy  presence  is 
fulness  of  joy;  at  thy  right  hand  there  are  pleas- 
ures for  evermore. 

Psalm  16 

Thy  dead  men  shall  live,  together  with  my  dead 
body  shall  they  arise.  Awake  and  sing,  ye  that 
dwell  in  dust:  for  thy  dew  is  as  the  dew  of  herbs, 
and  the  earth  shall  cast  out  the  dead. 

Come,  my  people,  enter  thou  into  thy  cham- 
bers, and  shut  thy  doors  about  thee:  hide  thyself 
as  it  were  for  a  little  moment,  until  the  indigna- 
tion be  overpast.  For,  behold,  the  Lord  cometh 
out  of  his  place  to  punish  the  inhabitants  of  the 
earth  for  their  iniquity:  the  earth  also  shall  dis- 
close her  blood,  and  shall  no  more  cover  her  slain. 

ISAIAII,  26 

And  many  of  them  that  sleep  in  the  dust  of  the 
earth  shall  awake,  some  to  (everlasting  life,  and 
some  to  shame  and  everlasting  contempt.    And 


462  BIBLE  STORIES 

they  that  be  wise  shall  shine  as  the  brightness  of 
the  firmament;  and  they  that  turn  many  to  right- 
eousness as  the  stars  for  ever  and  ever. 

Daniel,  12 

I  will  ransom  them  from  the  power  of  the  grave; 
I  will  redeem  them  from  death:  O  death,  where 
are  thy  plagues?  O  grave,  where  is  thy  destruc- 
tion? repentance  shall  be  hid  from  mine  eyes. 

HOSEA,  13 

For  I  know  that  my  redeemer  liveth,  and  that 
he  shall  stand  at  the  latter  day  upon  the  earth. 
And  though  after  my  skin  worms  destroy  this 
body,  yet  in  my  flesh  shall  I  see  God:  whom  I 
shall  see  for  myself,  and  mine  eyes  shall  behold, 
and  not  another;  though  my  reins  be  consumed 
within  me. 

Job,  19 

God  will  redeem  my  soul  from  the  power  of  the 
grave:  for  he  shall  receive  me.   Selah. 

Psalm  49 

HIS  ASCENSION 

The  Lord  said  unto  my  Lord,  Sit  thou  at  my 
right  hand,  until  I  make  thine  enemies  thy  foot- 
stool. 


HIS  ETERNAL  KINGDOM         463 

The  Lord  shall  send  the  rod  of  thy  strength  out 
of  Zion:  rule  thou  in  the  midst  of  thine  enemies. 

Thy  people  shall  be  willing  in  the  day  of  thy 
power,  in  the  beauties  of  holiness  from  the  bosom 
of  the  morning:  thou  Last  the  dew  of  thy  youth. 

The  Lord  hath  sworn,  and  will  not  repent.  Thou 
art  a  priest  for  ever  after  the  order  of  Melchizedek. 

The  Lord  at  thy  right  hand  shall  strike  through 
kings  in  the  day  of  his  wrath. 

He  shall  judge  among  the  heathen,  he  shall  fill 
the  places  with  the  dead  bodies;  he  shall  wound 
the  heads  over  many  countries. 

He  shall  drink  of  the  brook  in  the  way:  there- 
fore shall  he  lift  up  the  head. 

Psalm  110 

The  stone  which  the  builders  refused  is  become 
the  head  stone  of  the  corner. 

This  is  the  Lord's  doing;  it  is  marvellous  in  our 
eyes. 

Psalm  118 

HIS  ETERNAL  KINGDOM 

I  BEHELD  till  the  thrones  were  cast  down,  and 
the  Ancient  of  days  did  sit,  whose  garment  was 
white  as  snow,  and  the  hair  of  his  head  like  the 
pure  wool :  his  throne  was  like  the  fiery  flame,  and 
his  wheels  as  burning  fire. 


464  BIBLE  STORIES 

A  fiery  stream  issued  and  came  forth  from  be- 
fore him:  thousand  thousands  ministered  unto 
him,  and  ten  thousand  times  ten  thousand  stood 
before  him:  the  judgment  was  set,  and  the  books 
were  opened. 

I  beheld  then  because  of  the  voice  of  the  great 
words  which  the  horn  spake:  I  beheld  even  till 
the  beast  was  slain,  and  his  body  destroyed,  and 
given  to  the  burning  flame. 

As  concerning  the  rest  of  the  beasts,  they  had 
their  dominion  taken  away:  yet  their  lives  were 
prolonged  for  a  season  and  time. 

I  saw  in  the  night  visions,  and,  behold,  one  like 
the  Son  of  man  came  with  the  clouds  of  heaven, 
and  came  to  the  Ancient  of  daj^s,  and  they  brought 
him  near  before  him. 

And  there  was  given  him  dominion,  and  glory, 
and  a  kingdom,  that  all  people,  nations,  and  lan- 
guages, should  serve  him. 

His  dominion  is  an  everlasting  dominion,  which 
shall  not  pass  away,  and  his  kingdom  that  which 
shall  not  be  destroyed. 

Daniel,  7 

Yea,  all  kings  shall  fall  down  before  him :  all  na- 
tions shall  serve  him. 

For  he  shall  deliver  the  needy  when  he  crieth; 
the  poor  also,  and  him  that  hath  no  helper. 


HIS  ETERNAL  KINGDOM         463 

He  shall  spare  the  poor  and  needy,  and  shall 
save  the  souls  of  the  needy. 

He  shall  redeem  their  soul  from  deceit  and  vio- 
lence: and  precious  shall  their  blood  be  in  his 
sight. 

And  he  shall  live,  and  to  him  shall  be  given  of 
the  gold  of  Sheba:  prayer  also  shall  be  made  for 
him  continually;  and  daily  shall  he  be  praised. 

There  shall  be  an  handful  of  corn  in  the  earth 
upon  the  top  of  the  mountains;  the  fruit  thereof 
shall  shake  like  Lebanon:  and  they  of  the  city 
shall  flourish  like  grass  of  the  earth. 

His  name  shall  endure  for  ever:  his  name  shall 
be  continued  as  long  as  the  sun:  and  men  shall  be 
blessed  in  him:  all  nations  shall  call  him  blessed. 

Blessed  he  the  Lord  God,  the  God  of  Israel,  who 
only  doeth  loondrous  things. 

And  blessed  he  his  glorious  name  for  ever:  and  let 
the  whole  earth  he  filled  with  his  glory;  Amen,  and 
Amen. 

Psalm  72 


THE   END 


APPENDICES 


APPENDIX  A 

THE    PLACE    OF   THE    BIBLE    IN    THE 
EDUCATION  OF   CHILDREN 

JOHN  RUSKIN 

I  HAVE  next  with  deeper  gratitude  to  chronicle  what  I 
owed  to  my  mother  for  the  resolutely  consistent  lessons  which 
so  exercised  me  in  the  Scriptures  as  to  make  every  word  of 
them  familiar  to  my  ear  in  hal)itual  music,  —  yet  in  that 
familiarity  reverenced,  as  transcending  all  thought,  and  or- 
daining all  conduct.  This  she  effected,  not  by  her  own  sayings 
or  personal  authority;  hut  simply  by  compelling  me  to  read 
the  Book  thoroughly,  for  myself.  As  soon  as  I  was  able  to  read 
with  fluency,  she  began  a  course  of  Bible  work  witli  me,  which 
never  ceased  till  I  went  to  Oxford.  She  read  alternate  verses 
with  me,  watching,  at  first,  every  intonation  of  my  voice, 
and  correcting  the  false  ones,  till  she  made  me  understand 
the  verse,  if  within  my  reach,  rightly,  and  energetically.  It 
might  be  beyond  me  altogether;  that  she  did  not  care  about; 
but  she  made  sure  that  as  soon  as  1  got  hold  of  it  at  all,  T  should 
get  hold  of  it  by  the  right  end.  In  tliis  way  siie  began  with  the 
first  verse  of  Genesis,  and  went  straiglit  through,  to  tiie  last 
verse  of  the  Apocalypse  .  .  .  After  our  chapters  (from  two 
to  three  a  day.  according  to  their  length), ...  I  had  to  learn 
a  few  verses  by  heart,  or  repeat,  to  make  sure  I  had  not  lost 
something  of  what  was  already  known. 

John  Ruskin:  Proctcrita 

DANIEL  WEBSTER 

The  father  had  a  fine  voice,  "an  utUaiight,  yet  correct 
ear,"  tlie  son  says,  "and  a  keen  percei)liun  of  all  that  was 
beautiful  or  sublime  in  thought."    He  often  read  the  Bible 


470  APPENDIX 

aloud  to  his  children,  especially  the  grand  poetry  of  the  Old 
Testament.  Hence  those  marvellous  tones  of  the  son,  and  his 
love  for  all  similar  literature. 

S.  G.  Fisher:  The  True  Daniel  Webster 

His  (Daniel  Webster's)  talents  were  known  in  the  neigh- 
borhood, and  the  passing  teamsters,  while  they  watered 
their  horses,  delighted  to  get  "Webster's  boy,"  with  his  deli- 
cate look  and  great  dark  eyes,  to  come  out  beneath  the  shade 
of  the  trees  and  read  the  Bible  to  them  with  all  the  force  of 
his  childish  eloquence. 

H.  C.  Lodge:  Daniel  Webster 

JOHN  HARRINGTON  COX 

First  of  all  in  importance  is  the  King  James  Version  of  the 
Bible.  Any  study  of  English  literature  worthy  the  name 
must  take  this  book  into  account.  It  is  indispensable,  —  it  is 
not  possible  to  omit  it.  Our  language  is  thoroughly  satu- 
rated with  innumerable  references  to  it.  .  .  .  It  is  practically 
impossible  to  read  even  our  simplest  prose  and  poetry  with- 
out a  tolerably  wide  and  accurate  knowledge  of  the  Bible. 
The  fabric  of  English  thought  is  so  interwoven  with  the 
golden  threads  of  the  Bible  that  it  is  not  possible  to  remove 
them  without  destroying  the  fabric.  This  wonderful  Book 
has  shaped  the  faith  and  thought  of  Europe  and  America. 
It  is  the  foundation  of  our  intellectual  heritage.  Its  power  to 
move  the  imagination  and  stir  the  emotions  is  unsurpassed. 
This  power  does  not  lie  within  the  religious  sphere  alone, 
but  non-religious  men  find  in  it  a  marvellous  »ii)lift  and  un- 
believers testify  to  its  greatness.  Its  message  is  to  the  simple 
and  the  learned  alike.  For  generations  especially  in  the  eight- 
eenth and  nineteenth  centuries,  it  was  the  one  book  of  most 
households.  Its  austere  simplicity  and  terrible  earnestness 
burned  themselves  into  the  language,  the  thought,  and  the 
spirit  of  English-speaking  pe()j)les. 
John  Harhington  Cox:  Literature  in  the  Common  Schools  * 

'  From  Literature  in  the  Common  Schools,  by  John  Harrington 
Cox.    Copyright,  1908,  by  Little,  Browu  &  Company. 


APPENDIX  471 

ORTON  LOWE 

There  is  yet  one  book  of  powerful  and  pure  English  that 
must  be  mentioncfl.  The  boy  should  have  early  hearfl  it 
read  aloud,  learned  passages  from  it  by  heart,  and  have  read" 
parts  of  it  on  his  own  account.  In  proportion  as  he  has  gath- 
ered the  richness  of  this  book,  will  he  have  a  grasp  on  clear 
language  and  clear  understanding.  That  book  is  the  Version 
of  the  Bible  authorized  by  King  James.  It  gave  to  our  fathers 
not  only  their  faith,  but  also  that  grip  on  racy,  clear,  and 
vigorous  English  that  made  many  an  artisan  a  better  talker 
and  writer  than  the  man  trained  in  the  halls  of  higher 
learning.  It  has  had  a  power  above  all  other  books  in  English 
to  stir  the  imagination  and  move  the  soul,  and  this  without 
regard  to  any  particular  religious  belief.  No  book  has  ever  told 
stories  with  the  ease,  directness,  and  intensity  of  this  one.  Its 
style  expresses  the  strongest  and  deepest  feelings  of  English- 
speaking  men.  And  this  style  has  been  caught  l)y  such  masters 
of  prose  in  their  own  centuries  as  Bunyan  an<l  Lincoln.  Yet 
it  is  evident  to  teachers  that  the  great  stories  of  the  Scrip- 
tures are  not  known  by  children.  The  Bible  needs  to  be 
dusted  and  read,  even  if  it  is  brought  about  by  the  strong 
hand  of  authority  in  the  home  and  in  the  school. 

Ohton  Lowe:  Literature  Jor  Children 

THOMAS  H.  HUXLEY 

If  I  were  compelled  to  choose  for  one  of  my  own  children 
*)etween  a  school  in  which  real  religious  instruction  is  given, 
and  one  without  it,  I  should  prefer  the  former  even  though 
the  child  might  have  to  take  a  good  deal  of  theology  with 
it.  ,  .  .  Hence  when  the  great  mass  of  the  English  people 
declare  that  they  want  to  have  the  children  in  the  elemen- 
tary schools  taught  the  Bible,  and  when  it  is  plain  from 
the  terms  of  the  Act,  the  debates  in  and  out  of  Parlia- 
ment, and  especially  the  emphatic  declarations  of  the  Vice- 
President  of  the  Council,  that  it  was  intended  that  such 
Bible  reading  should  be  permitted  imless  good  cause  for  pro- 
hibiting it  could  be  shown,  I  do  not  see  what  reason  there 


472  APPENDIX 

is  for  opposing  that  wish.  Certainly  I,  individually,  could 
with  no  shadow  of  consistency  oppose  the  teaching  of  the 
children  of  other  people  to  do  that  which  my  own  children 
are  taught  to  do.  And  even  if  the  reading  the  Bible  were  not, 
♦as  I  think  it  is,  consonant  with  political  reason  and  justice, 
...  I  am  disposed  to  think  it  might  still  be  well  to  read  that 
book  in  the  elementary  schools. 

Thomas  H.  Huxley:  The  School  Boards 


ARLO  BATES 

I  wish  to  speak  on  the  same  footing  to  those  who  do  and 
those  who  do  not  regard  the  Bible  as  a  sacred  book.  .  .  .  Let 
for  the  moment  these  points  be  waived  entirely,  and  there 
remains  the  splendid  literary  worth  of  this  great  classic; 
there  remains  the  fact  that  it  has  shaped  faith  and  fortune 
for  the  whole  of  Europe  and  America  for  centuries;  and  es- 
pecially that  the  English  version  has  been  the  most  powerful 
of  all  intellectual  and  imaginative  forces  in  moulding  the 
thought  and  literature  of  all  English-speaking  peoples. 

Aklo  Bates  :  Talks  on  the  Htudtj  of  Literature 


FELIX  ADLER 

The  narrative  of  the  Bible  is  fairly  saturated  with  the 
moral  spirit;  the  moral  issues  are  everywhere  in  the  fore- 
front. Duty,  guilt  and  its  punishment,  the  conflict  of  con- 
science with  inclination,  are  the  leading  themes.  The  He- 
brew people  seem  to  have  been  endowed  with  what  may  be 
called  "a  moral  genius"  and  especially  did  they  emphasize 
the  filial  and  fraternal  duties  to  an  extent  hardly  equaled 
elsewhere.  Now  it  is  precisely  these  fluties  that  must  be  im- 
pressed on  young  children,  and  hence  the  Biblical  stories 
present  us  with  the  very  material  we  require.  They  cannot 
in  this  respect  be  replacerl;  there  is  no  other  literature  in  the 
world  that  offers  what  is  equal  to  them  in  value  for  the  par- 
ticular object  we  have  now  in  view. 

Felix  Adleb:  Moral  Instruction  of  Children 


APPENDIX  473 

ALFRED  THE  GREAT 

To  use  his  own  words,  he  was  desirous  "that  all  the  free- 
born  youths  of  his  people  who  had  the  means  should  per- 
severe in  learning  so  long  as  they  had  no  other  duties  to  at- 
tend to,  until  they  could  read  the  English  Scriptures  with 
fluency."  Thomas  Hughes:  Alfred  the  Great 


Like  a  most  productive  bee,  he  flew  here  and  there  asking 
questions,  as  he  went,  until  he  had  eagerly  and  unceasingly 
collected  many  various  flowers  of  divine  Scripture,  with 
which  he  thickly  stored  the  cells  of  his  mind. 

Asser's  Life  of  Alfred 


THOMAS  CARLYLE 

And  so  we  have  it  here  to  read,  that  Book  of  Books: 
"barbarous  enough  to  rouse,  tender  enough  to  assuage,  and 
possessing  how  many  other  properties."  says  Goethe;  — 
possessing  this  property,  inclusive  of  all,  add  we,  that  it  is 
written  under  the  eye  of  the  Eternal;  that  it  is  of  a  Sincerity 
like  very  Death;  the  truest  Utterance  that  ever  came  by 
Alphabetic  Letters  from  the  Soul  of  Man.  Through  which, 
as  through  a  window  divinely'  opened,  all  men  could  look, 
and  can  still  look,  beyond  the  visual  Air-Firmaments  and 
mysterious  Time-Oceans,  into  the  Light-Sea  of  Infinitude, 
into  the  stillness  of  Eternity;  and  discern  in  glimpses  .  .  . 
their  far-distant,  long  forgotten  Home. 

Thomas  Cahlyle:  Historical  Sketches 


JOHN  Mn.TON 

True  religion  is  the  true  worship  and  service  of  God, 
learned  and  believed  from  the  Word  of  Go<l  only.  No  man 
or  angel  can  know  how  God  would  be  worshipp<'d  and  served 
unless  God  reveal  it:  he  hath  revealed  and  taught  it  us  in 
the  Holy  Scriptures  by  inspired  ministers,  and  ia  the  gospKjl 


474  APPENDIX 

by  His  own  Son  and  His  apostles,  with  strictest  command 
to  reject  all  other  traditions  or  additions  whatsoever.  .  .  . 
The  Scripture  is  our  only  principle  in  religion. 

John  Milton:  Heresy,  Schism,  Toleration 


JOHN  WESLEY 

I  want  to  know  one  thing,  —  the  way  to  Heaven;  how 
to  land  safe  on  that  happy  shore.  God  Himself  has  conde- 
scended to  teach  the  way.  For  this  very  end  He  came  from 
Heaven.  He  hath  written  it  down  in  a  book.  Oh  give  me 
that  Book!  At  any  price,  give  me  the  book  of  God!  I  have 
it:  here  is  knowledge  enough  for  me.  Let  me  be  homo  unius 
lihri.  Here  then  I  am,  far  from  the  busy  ways  of  men.  I  sit 
down  alone;  only  God  is  here.  In  His  presence  I  open,  I  read 
His  book.  .  .  .  And  what  I  thus  learn,  that  I  teach. 

John  Wesley:  Preface  to  Servians 

SIR  WALTER  SCOTT 

Next  morning  he  was  still  better  ...  he  desired  to  be  drawn 
into  the  library  and  placed  by  the  central  window  that  he 
might  look  down  upon  the  Tweed.  Here  he  expressed  a  wish 
that  I  should  read  to  him,  and  when  I  asked  from  what 
book,  he  said:  "Need  you  ask?  there  is  but  one." 

J.  G.  Lockhart:  Life  of  Sir  Walter  Scott 

ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

Lincoln  said  to  a  committee  of  colored  people  who  pre- 
sented him  with  a  copy  of  the  Bible,  "In  regard  to  this  great 
book,  I  have  but  to  say  it  is  the  best  gift  God  has  given  to 
man.  All  the  good  Saviour  gave  to  the  world  was  communi- 
cated through  this  book.  But  for  it  wo  could  not  know  right 
from  wrong.  All  things  most  desirable  for  man's  welfare, 
here  and  hereafter,  are  to  \w  found  portrayed  in  it.  To  you 
I  return  my  most  sincere  thanks  for  the  very  elegant  copy  of 
the  great  Book  of  God  which  you  present." 


•  APPENDIX  '  475 


THOMAS  CARTER 

Wc  know  that  Bacon.  Milton,  and  many  other  great  men 
of  the  Elizabethan  period  were  trained  in  the  (Genevan) 
Version,  and  used  it  to  the  end  of  life.  No  writer  has  assimi- 
lated the  thoughts  and  reproduced  the  words  of  Holy  Scrip- 
ture more  copiously  than  Shakespeare.  As  Dr.  Furnivall 
puts  it:  "he  is  saturated  with  the  Bible  story."  .  .  .  Whatever 
else  the  poet  had  or  lacked,  he  must  have  brought  to  his 
work  a  mind  richly  stored  with  the  thoughts  and  words  of 
the  English  Bible.  A  man  does  not  learn  the  Bible  by  intu- 
ition. .  .  .  The  power  of  apt  and  literal  quotation  is  seldom 
acquired  after  the  earlier  days  of  manhood  have  passed,  and 
no  man  can  quote  instinctively  and  correctly  unless  he  has 
been  well  grounded  in  his  childhood.  The  spontaneous  flow 
of  scriptural  ideas  and  phrases  which  are  to  be  found  every- 
where in  the  plays,  reveals  the  fact  most  clearly  that  the 
mind  of  Shakespeare  must  indeed  have  been  "saturated" 
with  the  Word  of  God. 

Thomas  Carter  :  Shakespeare  and  the  Holy  Scriptures  J 


J.  R.  GREEN 

No  greater  moral  change  ever  passed  over  a  nation  than 
passed  over  England  during  the  years  which  parted  the 
middle  of  the  reign  of  Elizabeth  from  the  meeting  of  the 
Long  Parliament.  England  became  the  people  of  a  book, 
and  that  book  was  the  Bible.  It  was  as  yet  the  one  English 
book  which  was  familiar  to  every  Englishman;  it  was  read 
at  churches  and  read  at  home,  and  everywhere  its  words,  as 
they  fell  on  ears  which  custom  had  not  deadened,  kindled 
a  startling  enthusiasm.  .  .  .  But  far  greater  than  it-s  effect 
on  literature  or  social  phra.se  was  the  effoi-t  of  the  Bible  on 
the  character  of  the  people  at  large.  Elizabeth  might  silence 
or  tune  the  pulpits;  but  it  was  impossible  for  lier  to  silence 
or  tune  the  great  preachers  of  justice,  and  mercy,  and  truth, 
who  spoke  from  the  book  which  she  had  again  opened  for  her 
people.  .  .  .  One  dominant  influence  told  on  human  action: 


476  APPENDIX 

and  all  the  activities  that  had  been  called  into  life  by  the 
age  that  was  passing  away  were  seized,  concentrated,  and 
steadied  to  a  definite  aim  by  the  spirit  of  religion.  The  whole 
temper  of  the  nation  felt  the  change.  A  new  conception  of 
life  and  of  man  superseded  the  old.  A  new  moral  and  re- 
ligious impulse  spread  through  every  class. 

J.  R.  Green:  Short  History  of  the  English  People 

LORD  BRYCE 

To  convey  some  impression  of  the  character  and  type 
which  religion  has  taken  in  America,  and  to  estimate  its  in- 
fluence as  a  moral  and  spiritual  force,  is  an  infinitely  harder 
task  than  to  sketch  the  salient  ecclesiastical  phenomena 
of  the  country.  ...  If  therefore  we  desire  to  know  what 
place  Christianity  really  fills  in  America,  and  how  far  it  gives 
stability  to  the  commonwealth,  we  must  inquire  how  far  it 
governs  tlie  life  and  moulds  the  mind  of  the  country.  .  .  . 
In  works  of  active  beneficence  no  country  has  surpassed, 
perhaps  none  has  equalled,  the  United  States.  .  .  .  Not  all, 
but  I  think  nearly  all  of  it,  is  in  fact  given  by  religious  people, 
and,  as  they  themselves  suppose,  under  a  religious  impulse. 
.  .  .  The  ethical  standard  of  the  average  man  is  of  course  the 
Christian  standard,  modified  to  some  slight  extent  by  the 
circumstances  of  American  life,  which  have  been  different 
from  those  of  Protestant  Eur()])e.  The  average  man  has  not 
thought  of  any  otlier  standard,  and  religious  teaching, 
though  it  has  become  less  definite  and  less  dogmatic,  is  still 
to  him  the  source  whence  he  believes  himself  to  have  drawn 
his  ideas  of  duty  and  conduct.  .  .  . 

The  general  impression  of  those  who  have  lived  long  both 
in  Protestant  Europe  and  in  America  seems  to  be  that  as 
respects  veracity,  temperance,  the  purity  of  domestic  life, 
tenderness  to  children  and  the  weak,  and  general  kiiidliness 
of  behaviour,  the  native  Amerieaus  stand  rather  higher  tlian 
either  the  English  or  the  Germans.  And  those  whose  opinion 
I  am  quoting  seem  generally,  though  not  universally,  dis- 
posed to  lliiuk  that  the  iniluence  of  religious  belief,  which 
may  survive  in  its  effect  upon   the  character  when  a  man 


APPENDIX  477 

has  dropped  his  connection  with  any  religious  body,  counts 
for  a  good  deal  in  tliis.  .  .  . 

A  perusal  of  the  literature  which  the  American  of  the 
educated  farming  class  reads,  and  a  study  of  the  kind  of 
literature  which  those  who  are  least  coloured  by  European 
influences  produce,  led  one  to  think  that  the  Bible  and 
Christian  theology  altogether  have  in  the  past  done  more  in 
the  way  of  forming  the  inuiginative  background  to  an  average 
American  view  of  the  world  of  man  and  nature  than  they 
have  in  most  European  countries. 

No  one  is  so  thoughtless  as  not  sometimes  to  ask  himself 
what  would  befall  mankind  if  the  solid  fabric  of  belief  on 
which  their  morality  has  hitherto  rested,  or  at  least  been 
deemed  by  them  to  rest,  were  suddenly  to  break  up  and 
vanish  under  the  influence  of  new  views  of  nature.  .  .  . 
So  sometimes,  standing  in  the  midst  of  a  great  American 
city,  and  watching  the  throngs  of  ecger  figures  streaming 
hither  and  thither,  marking  the  sharp  contrasts  of  poverty 
and  wealth,  an  increasing  mass  of  wretchedness  and  an  in- 
creasing display  of  luxury,  know  iug  that  before  long  a  luin- 
dred  millions  of  men  will  be  living  between  ocean  and  ocean 
under  this  one  govermnent,  —  a  government  which  their 
own  hands  have  made,  and  which  they  feel  to  be  the  work  of 
their  own  hands,  —  one  is  startled  by  the  thought  of  what 
might  befall  this  huge  yet  delicate  fabric  of  laws  and  com- 
merce and  social  Institutions  were  the  foundation  it  has 
rested  on  to  crumble  away. 

Suppose  that  all  these  men  ceased  to  believe  that  there 
was  any  power  above  them,  any  future  before  them,  any- 
thing in  heaven  or  earth  but  what  their  senses  told  them  of; 
suppose  that  their  consciousness  of  individual  force  and 
responsibility,  already  dwarfed  l)y  tlie  overwhelming  power 
of  the  multitude,  and  the  fatalistic  sul)mission  it  engenders, 
were  further  weakened  l)y  ihe  feeling  that  tiieir  swiftlv 
Ueeting  life  was  rounded  by  a  perpetual  sleep.  .  .  wouUl  the 
moral  code  stand  unshaken,  and  witii  it  the  reverence  for 
law.  the  sense  of  duty  towards  the  community,  and  even 
towards  the  generations  yet  to  come?  Would  men  say. 
"Let  us  eat  and  drink,  for  to-morrow  we  die"?   .   .   .History 


478  APPENDIX 

cannot  answer  this  question.  The  most  she  can  tell  us  is 
that  hitherto  civilized  society  has  rested  on  religion,  and 
that  free  government  has  prospered  best  among  religious 
peoples. 

America  is  no  doubt  the  country  in  which  intellectual 
movements  work  most  swiftly  upon  the  masses,  and  the 
country  in  which  the  loss  of  faith  in  the  invisible  might 
produce  the  completest  revolution;  because  it  is  the  country 
where  men  have  been  least  wont  to  revere  anything  in  the 
visible  world.  ...  It  was  religious  zeal  and  the  religious 
conscience  which  led  to  the  founding  of  the  New  England 
colonies  nearly  three  centuries  ago,  — •  those  colonies  whose 
spirit  has  in  such  a  large  measure  passed  into  the  whole  na- 
tion. Religion  and  conscience  have' been  a  constantly  active 
force  in  the  American  Commonwealth  ever  since,  not,  indeed, 
strong  enough  to  avert  many  moral  and  political  evils,  yet 
at  the  worst  times  inspiring  a  minority  with  a  courage  and 
ardour  by  which  moral  and  political  evils  have  been  held  at 
bay,  and  in  the  long  run  generally  overcome. 

It  is  an  old  saying  that  monarchies  live  by  honour  and 
republics  by  virtue.  The  more  democratic  republics  become, 
the  more  the  masses  grow  conscious  of  their  own  power, 
the  more  do  they  need  to  live,  not  only  by  patriotism,  but 
by  reverence  and  self-control,  and  the  more  essential  to 
their  well-being  are  those  sources  whence  reverence  and 
self-control  flow. 

Lord  Bryce:  American  Commonwealth 

MARTIN  LUTHER 

A  fiery  shield  is  God's  ^Vord,  of  more  substance  and  purer 
than  gold,  which  tried  in  the  fire  loses  naught  of  its  substance, 
but  resists  and  overcomes  all  the  fury  of  the  fierce  heat.  Even 
so  he  that  believes  God's  Word  overcomes  all  and  remains 
secure  everlastingly  against  all  misfortunes;  for  this  shield 
fears  nothing,  neither  hell  nor  the  devil.  .  .  .  No  greater  mis- 
chief can  befall  a  Christian  people  than  to  have  God's  Word 
taken  from  them  or  falsified  so  that  they  no  longer  have  it 
pure  and  clear.    God  grant  we  and  our  descendants  be  not 


APPENDIX  479 

witnesses  of  such  a  calamity.  ,  .  .  Let  us  not  lose  the  Bible, 
but  with  diligence  in  fear  and  invocation  of  God,  read  and 
preach  it.  While  that  remains  and  flourishes,  all  prospers 
with  the  State. 

Mabtin  Lutheb:  Table  Talk 


APPENDIX  B 

FROM   HOLY   SCRIPTURE 

GOD  SAITH 

My  thoughts  are  not  your  thoughts,  neither  are  your  ways 
my  ways,  saith  the  Lord.  For  as  the  lieavens  are  higher  than 
the  earth,  so  are  my  ways  higher  than  your  ways,  and  my 
thoughts  than  your  thoughts. 

For  as  tlie  rain  conieth  down,  and  the  snow  from  heaven, 
and  returneth  not  thither.  V)ut  watereth  the  earth,  and 
maketh  it  bring  forth  and  bud,  that  it  may  give  seed  to  the 
sower,  and  bread  to  the  eater:  so  shall  my  word  be  that 
goeth  fortix  out  of  my  mouth:  it  shall  not  return  unto  me 
void,  but  it  shall  accomplish  that  which  I  please,  and  it  shall 
prosj>er  in  the  thing  whereto  I  sent  it. 

Isaiah,  55 

CHRIST  JESUS  SAITH 

And  Jesus  answered  and  said,  while  he  taught  in  the 
temple.  How  say  the  scribes  that  Christ  is  the  son  of  David? 
For  David  himself  said  by  the  Holy  Ghost,  The  Lord  said 
to  my  Lord,  Sit  thou  on  my  right  hand,  till  I  make  tliine 
enemies  thy  footstool.  David  therefore  himself  calleth  him 
Lord:  and  whence  is  he  then  liis  son.^ 

Mark,  12 

Ye  do  err,  not  knowing  the  Scriptures,  nor  the  power 
of  God. 

Matthew,  22 

Search  the  Scriptures;  for  in  them  ye  think  ye  have  eternal 
life:  and  they  are  they  which  testify  of  me. 

JoHX,  5 

And  he  said  unto  them.  These  are  the  words  which  I  spake 
unto  you,  while  I  was  yet  with  you.  that  all  things  must  be 
fulfilled,  which  were  written  in  the  law  of  Moses,  and  in  the 
prophets,  and  in  the  psalms,  concerning  me. 


APPENDIX  481 

Then  opened  he  tlu>ir  nnderstanding,  that  they  might 
understand  the  S(Tij)tures,  and  said  unto  them.  Thus  it  is 
written,  and  thus  it  helioved  Christ  to  suffer,  and  to  rise 
from  the  dead  the  third  day :  and  that  repentance  and  remis- 
sion of  sins  should  be  preached  in  his  name  among  all  nations, 
beginning  at  Jerusalem. 

LtTKE,  24 

IT  SAITH  IN  THE  EPISTLES! 

We  have  also  a  more  sure  word  of  prophecy;  whereunto 
ye  do  well  that  ye  take  heed,  as  unto  a  light  that  shineth  in 
a  dark  place,  until  the  day  dawn,  and  the  day  star  arise  in 
your  hearts. 

Knowing  this  first,  that  no  prophecy  of  the  Scripture  is  of 
any  private  interpretation.  For  the  prophecy  came  not  in 
old  time  by  the  will  of  man :  but  holy  men  of  God  spake  as 
they  were  moved  by  the  Holy  Ghost. 

2  Peter,  1 

But  continue  thou  in  the  things  which  thou  hast  learned 
and  hast  been  assured  of,  knowing  of  whom  thou  hast  learned 
them;  and  that  from  a  child  thou  hast  known  the  holy  Scrip- 
tures, which  are  able  to  make  thee  wise  unto  salvation 
through  faith  which  is  in  Christ  Jesus. 

All  Scripture  is  given  by  inspiration  of  God,  and  is  profit- 
able for  doctrine,  for  reproof,  for  correction,  for  instruction  in 
righteousness:  that  the  man  of  God  may  be  perfect,  thor- 
oughly furnished  unto  all  good  works. 

2  Timothy,  S 

For  the  word  of  God  is  quick,  and  powerful,  and  sharper 
than  any  twoedged  sword,  piercing  even  to  the  dividing 
asunder  of  stnil  and  spirit,  and  of  the  joints  and  marrow,  and 
is  a  discerner  of  the  thoughts  and  intents  of  the  heart.  Neither 
is  there  any  creature  that  is  not  manifest  in  his  sight:  but  all 
things  are  naked  and  opened  unto  the  eyes  of  him  with 
whom  we  have  to  do. 

Heurews,  4 


482  APPENDIX 

The  grace  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  be  with  you  all.  Amen. 

Now  to  him  that  is  of  power  to  stablish  you  according  to 
my  gospel,  and  the  preaching  of  Jesus  Christ,  according  to 
the  revelation  of  the  mystery,  which  was  kept  secret  since 
the  world  began,  but  now  is  made  manifest,  and  by  the 
Scriptures  of  the  prophets,  according  to  the  commandment 
of  the  everlasting  God,  made  known  to  all  nations  for  the 
obedience  of  faith: 

To  God  only  wise,  be  glory  through  Jesus  Christ  for  ever. 
Amen. 

Romans,  16 


APPENDIX  C 

EDITIONS  OF  THE  BIBLE 
RECOMMENDED  FOR  CHILDREN 

Every  child  should  have  his  own  Bible,  and  he  should  be 
jncouraged  to  read  something  from  it  each  day.  The  read- 
ing should  be  made  a  pleasure,  not  a  task.  The  habit  ac- 
quired in  childhood  of  daily  reading  the  Bible,  will  be  likely 
to  continue  a  life-habit.  When  mother  and  child  can  read 
together,  the  influence  on  the  child  will  be  greater  and  more 
lasting,  especially  if  the  mother  reads  aloud. 

If  possible  the  child's  name  should  be  printed  in  gold  let- 
ters on  the  cover  of  his  Bible;  this  will  give  him  a  sense  of 
ownership  and  pleasure  in  the  Book.  Any  binder  will  print 
the  name  for  a  small  sum.  The  delight  this  will  give  the  child 
will  make  it  well  worth  wliile. 

The  editions,  recommended  here  are  of  the  Authorized 
Version,  whose  powerful,  simple  English  carries  its  teaching 
home  with  a  forcefulness  that  makes  a  permanent  impres- 
sion on  the  memory.  The  fine  English,  too,  of  this  Version, 
is  of  educational  benefit  as  it  strengthens  the  style  and  vo- 
cabulary of  a  child,  especially  if  the  Bible  is  read  aloud. 

Bibles  may  be  ordered  directly  through  the  Ux-al  book- 
seller, or  by  mail  from  one  of  the  Bible  Houses.  If  ordered  by 
mail,  postage  is  extra.  Both  of  the  Bible  Houses,  whose  ad- 
dresses are  given  below,  issue  free  catalogues  showing  spec- 
imen types,  and  giving  descriptions  of  the  editions  issued 
by  them.  There  are  cheap,  moderately  priced,  and  expen- 
sive Bibles,  to  choose  from.  If  possible  it  is  best  to  get  a 
well-made  Bible,  printed  on  good  paper  in  clear  type,  so  that 
it  may  last  years,  if  not  for  a  lifetime.  When  ordering,  give 
order  number  and  description  of  volume  desired. 

ADDRESSES   OF  BIBLE   HOUSES 

American  Bible  Society,  Astor  Place,  New  York  City,  N.Y. 
Oxford  University  Press.  American  Branch,  35  West  33d 
Street,  New  York  City,  N.Y. 


484  APPENDIX 

EDITIONS   OF   THE   HOLY   BIBLE 

Holy  Bible.  Containing  Old  and  New  Testaments. 
Bound  in  cloth,  maps,  red  edges,  order  num- 
ber 01470,   Oxford  University $1 .00 

Holy  Bible.  Same  edition,  bound  in  French  mo- 
rocco, red  under  gold  edges,  order  number 
01473,  Oxford  University $1 .75 

Holy  Bible.  Same  edition,  bound  in  Persian  mo- 
rocco, leather  lined,  silk  sewed,  red  under  gold 
edges, order  number  01480,  Oxford  University.  .     $3.75 

This  is  a  handy,  compact  Bible,  vHh  clear  though 
small  print.  It  is  attractive  for  both  children  and  young 
people.  The  volume  for  $1.75  is  especially  recom- 
mended. 

Holy  Bible.     Bound  in  cloth,  red  edges,  12  maps, 

order  number  01600,  Oxford  University $1 .35 

The  print  of  this  edition  is  large  and  recommended 
for  children  who  have  weak  eyes.  The  volume  is  big- 
ger and  less  attractiie  than  those  listed  above.  Morocco- 
bound  editions  come  at  higher  prices,  for  which  see 
free  catalogue  of  the  Oxford  University  Press. 

Holy  Bible.  Bound  in  French  morocco,  limp,  red 
under  gold  edges,  32  full-page  colored  pic- 
tures, order  number  02603,  Oxford  University. . .    $2 .  90 

The  32  pictures  illustrate  the  cu.ftoms  and  country 
of  Palestine.    The  print  is  large  and  readdblc. 

Holy  Bible.  Bound  in  cloth,  red  edges,  order  num- 
ber Eng.  117,  American  Bible  Society 48  cents. 

This  edition  is  cheap.  It  has  small  but  readable  type. 
It  is  not  so  de.nrable  as  a  better-made  Jiible.  The 
American  Bible  House  i.s.sues  many  cheap  and  also 
moderately  priced  editions,  which  may  be  found  de- 
scribed in  the  free  catalogue  of  the  American  Bible 
Society,  wJiose  address  is  given  above. 


APPENDIX  485 

EDITIONS   OF   THE   NEW   TESTAMENT 

New  Testament  of  Our  Lord  and  Saviour  Jesus 
Christ.  Bound  in  Frcncli  niorocro,  red  under 
gold  edges,  order  number  0^200,  Oxford  Uni- 
versity       $1 .25 

This  edition  is  very  attractive,  with  large  -print. 
The  same  comes  in  cheaper  form  for  50  cents,  order 
number  0255.  An  expensive  gift  edition  of  the  same 
may  be  procured,  bound  in  Alaska  seal,  leather  lined 
and  silk  sewed,  red  and  gold  edges,  order  number 
02SSX,  price  $5.50. 

New  Testament  of  Our  Lord  and  Saviour  Jesus 
Christ.  Bound  in  boards,  order  number 
01200,  Oxford  University 25  cents. 

A  most  attractive  edition  of  the  New  Testament 
complete,  for  little  children  under  10  years  of  age.  It 
has  a  green  picture  cover,  and  black-and-white  pic- 
tures showing  the  manners  and  country  of  Palestine. 
Recommended  as  one  of  the  first  books  to  be  given  to 
a  little  child. 

BOY   scout's   new   TESTAMENT 

New  Testament  of  Our  Lord  and  Saviour  Jesus 
Christ.  Bound  in  khaki,  order  number  07lX, 
Oxford  University 45  cent* 

New  Testament  of  Our  Lord  and  Saviour  Jesus 
Christ.  Same  Edition,  ilhistrated  with  15 
colored  pictures,  order  number  095X,  Oxford 
University CO  cents. 

Every  boy,  ivhether  he  is  a  Scout  or  not,  should  oirn 
a  copy  of  this  pocket  edition.  It  is  appropriately 
bound  in  khaki,  with  the  Scout  emblem  in  gold  on  the 
cover.  The  Testament  is  complete,  and  contains  the 
Scout  Law,  and  a  list  of  Scriptures  suitable  for  Scouts. 
The  60-cent  volume,  irith  colored  pictures,  is  espe- 
cially attraiiire.  Recommemled  by  the  Executive  Com- 
mittee of  the  Boy  Scouts  of  America. 


486  APPENDIX 

EDITIONS   OF   PSALMS   AND   PROVERBS 

Book  of  Psalms.  Bound  in  French  morooco,  limp, 

order  number  08,  Oxford  University 95  cents. 

Large  type,  attractive  book.   The  same  edition,  bound 
in  cloth,  comes  for  35  cents,  order  number  07. 

Book  of  Psalms.  Bound  in  cloth,  red  edges,  order 

number  Eng.  442,    American  Bible  Society . .     8  cents. 

Small  type.  Pocket  edition. 

Proverbs,  Bound   in   morocco,  gold  edges,  order 

number  Eng.  452,  American  Bible  Society,. ,  45  cents. 

Every  child,  especially  every  boy,  should  own  a  copy 
of  Proverbs.  This  edition  is  attractive,  pocket  size,  with' 
large  print.  A  cheap  edition  of  {the  same,  bound  in 
cloth,  comes  for  8  cents,  order  number  Eng.  i5i. 


FOREIGN  BIBLES  AND   BIBLES   FOR   THE   BLIND 

The  American  Bible  Society  sends  out  on  application,  a 
free  catalogue  describing  their  many  Bibles  and  parts  of 
Bibles  issued  in  foreign  tongues.  They  also  give  a  list  of 
Bibles  printed  and  provided  by  them  for  the  blind,  in  Line, 
New  York  Point,  American  Braille,  and  Moon  types. 


This  book  is  DUE  on  the  last  date  stamped  below 


Mr  2 1  rtj23 

MAR  21  ]92d 

OCT  2  2   12:iL 
9CT  3      19911 

OCT  1  9  1931 
FEB  8      1933 


'CT  2  4  1933 
APP  1  6  1934 

OCT  2  3  1935 
OCT  xa  1937 

Form  L-9-10?n-5,'28 


'6^- 


\)i~ 


JUL  3  1  1361 
MftYl0l943       "OCT    4  1974 


.H'L 


/i-    J 


\^^^ 


JjAN  1 8 1980 


FEB  8 
JUN8    1980 

jUN«4l9fiP 

JAN  2  7  1951 
janSireco 


^■l': 


UNIVE'^^'TY  of  CALIFORNl/^ 


UBRAR^. 


UC  SOUTHERN  RtGIONAL  LlBRARY^FAa^^^^^^ 

AA    000  620  679    i 


''       3  1158  00539  2609 


''T 


■■■■'■'■  -•'--tt'-.-A'/'S; 


vv. .    •<. 


,:<M'-': 


